I have been journeying through a season where I’ve been pleading with God to remove thorns that have crippled me in areas of my life. Areas where joy once was. Areas where confidence once was. Areas where freedom once was. All a bit dimmed. Dimmed due to past hurts and regrets. And from words and labels I’ve placed on myself based on unrealistic expectations.
There have been nights that I’ve prayed and prayed that it’d be taken away and that I’d be brand new by morning. But that hasn’t been my story and the truth is it stings. Instead, I’m going through it. Walking through it. Crawling through it. Fighting through it. Learning through it.
Learning and seeing Him. Learning and seeing His ways. Learning to love Him despite it all because He is simply a good, good Father.
In Genesis 17:5, God changed Abram’s name to Abraham despite the obvious. He was childless. Not only childless, but his wife was pretty far up there in age. How could Abram now be called the father of many nations when bearing children of his own, in our eyes, seemed impossible? Not only that, he was promised that they’d be as numerous as the stars! We are not talking about 2.5 kids with a white picket fence. We are talking many nations!
We as believers have already been given a brand new name. A name that erases the labels we’ve consciously (and subconsciously) put on ourselves. We are called sons and daughters of a King. THE King.
Doubt is replaced with confidence. Failure replaced with triumph. Depression replaced with joy. Loneliness replaced with belonging. Fear replaced with courage. Chains replaced with FREEDOM.
You may not feel like you’re there yet but He calls you as you are. He calls it as He sees it. He knows the beginning from the end.
Let’s continue to label ourselves as sons and daughters until it sinks in. Fight for it every minute of every day. Run after it until it takes root within your being. Until truly believing and feeling it is as easy as an inhale and as effortless as an exhale.
Our thorns are never the ending to our story. We are victorious. We don’t have to live with the labels we’ve placed on ourselves. We are free to live with the label our Father has crowned us with.
And I’m going to believe it until His truth speaks louder than my feelings. Until . . .
INHALE.
EXHALE.
Daughter (son), you took a risk of faith and now you’re healed and whole.
Live well! Live blessed! Mark 5:34
Nicole 🙂
