The excerpt below was taken courtesy of the book Refresh, by David Murray and Shona Murray, Faithful Editor.
Although few people are consciously thinking “who am I?”, we all unconsciously answer this question every day of our lives. Although we are not always aware of this, do we always build an identity?A way of thinking about ourselves and how we want others to think about us. Let us begin by writing the prayer that comes to mind when we ask ourselves, “Who am I?”To help you get started, I’ve highlighted some examples to demonstrate how our fundamental sense of identity has broader consequences.
- Elizabeth converted to Christ when she was nearly 30 years old.
- Having spent much of her adolescence and adult life wrapped in many immoral relationships.
- Some of which were longer and shorter relationships.
- But they were all sins.
- Now.
- As a Christian.
- She wants to do it.
- Get rid of the immoral identity that has defined its existence for so long.
- She feels dirty and ashamed when she is with other Christian women.
- Women who have maintained purity until marriage.
- And does not know if she will be able to marry because of her listening to sermons about being “whiter than snow”.
- But light gray is the most she thinks she can achieve.
Since joining Facebook as a teenager, he has adopted several identities to try to figure out which would be the most popular and would draw more attention. Your self-esteem is tied to the number of friends, followers, and likes you have on Social Media: Those who know you best don’t recognize the person you see on Facebook or Pinterest posts.
Vickie was abused as a child. For many years, she did not talk about it, preferring to suppress pain and suffer in silence, when she finally opened up and sought someone for bible guidance, began to experience healing through the power of the Word of God and the Spirit. However, the process has stagnated because another counselor recommended that Vickie be more open to people about the abuse she has suffered and talk to people more often about it, but every time she told someone it was like touching the wounds that God healed. Instead of assuming Vickie’s identity, the victor, who, by the grace of God, overcame suffering, became Vickie, the victim, constantly remembering this suffering.
Fiona did everything right, but all her children got lost. Although she is dedicated to being a devoted mother, her three children left the church in her teens and lead a social life. Their hopes and dreams have shattered. She no longer sees meaning, in life. In everything she has done or intends to do, she sees herself as a failure with a great F.
Susan’s father was a determined, strict and prosperous man, just as demanding of his children. Unconsciously, Susan has adopted this identity (which is understandable), strong, determined and hard-working, assuming it in adulthood, yet she has just turned 45 and has struggled to maintain the same level of energy and productivity at work. The mind no longer seems as sharp or efficient as it used to, and from time to time she has throbbing and chest pains, but seeing herself as strong Susan, she insists on continuing at the same pace, which leaves her constantly exhausted and frustrated by her own limitations.
Paula is a mother who educates at home with her five children, has a family that resembles the idyllic images we see on the back cover of textbooks, your goal is to sew your own clothes, make your own bread and soup, have your own fruit, exercise every day and marry all your children until you are 21. Can you accomplish much every day?but, because she can’t do everything, she sees herself as a failure at all. A friend, who is young and single, told me about the debilitating effect of perfectionism: “Nothing bothers me more than not making devotion, taking notes below my abilities, losing a basket in basketball training or even taking a car for a client at work and seeing that, despite my best efforts, the car still has a small place. I want to please God, my family, my church, my teacher, and the list goes on?
Cindy’s church focuses on law, sin, and judgment and rarely mentions justification, forgiveness, and adoption. His pastor is an expert on what is wrong with Christians, the church and the world. She thinks she was saved a few years ago, but has little or no confidence in her faith. Moreover, she is fully convinced that she is a sinner and that she deserves God’s condemnation. His children are bewildered by their mother, not understanding why a beloved of God and going to heaven are such depressing things.
When I worked as a doctor, almost all my patients who worked exclusively from home answered the question about what they were doing saying, “Am I just a housewife?Am I just a secretary?” The root of this response lies in a non-biblical vision of vocation, the misconception that only so-called ministerials are called God, that only expressly Christian works are worthwhile, or that only certain types of work outside the home are important as a true vocation. Justine never read what William Tyndale wrote: “There is no better work than another to please God; Serving water, washing dishes, being a shoemaker or preacher of the Word, everything is one. And Martin Luther said, “God and angels smile when a man changes a diaper. “If God is glad that a man changes a diaper, much more so when we change ten in a single day.
I’ve given these examples not only to help you discover your own identity, but also to show how easy it is to be stolen, distorted, or altered by different events, decisions, and circumstances. It also shows that our answer to the question: who am I?I have far-reaching consequences for many years to come. Answering this question correctly and thinking about yourself as God wants us to think is one of Refresh Academy’s most important activities, as well as a very important step toward a life in the future. the rhythm of grace.
Many women do not realize that they are running at an unsustainable rate until they enter a state of physical, emotional and spiritual exhaustion. Based on many years of counselling and their own experience of depression, Shona and David Murray will help you slow down so that you live at the pass of grace for God’s glory.