Hi Friends,
We have been talking about ways to have a healthier marriage by following God’s Word. And as we transition into the Ripple of parenting, it is so important to know what the Bible teaches about WHO we are in Christ. Our identity is everything, because it can lead us down a path of confusion, or guide us along the path of righteousness. Listen to what God says:
“And, ‘I will be a Father to you, and you will be my sons and daughters,’ says the Lord Almighty.” 2Co 6:18 NIV
Knowing WHO you are. It is in marriage that we can learn to become more and more self-LESS individuals, as we learn to put the one we love before ourselves. And it is in becoming parents that this usually becomes even more pronounced! For the majority of parents, making the needs of our babies our highest priority comes almost instinctively. I am talking about the ideal situation here, of course, with parents who desire to give their children the best that they can. This does not mean parents will parent perfectly, but then again how can we, being imperfect humans ourselves? But it does mean doing the very best they can with the resources that they have. After all, no human can do more than their best. This is yet another vital reason why continuing to grow in Christ, is a must for everyone, at every stage of their lives. We can only do our best at each phase of life, but as we mature, we are connected to God more deeply, and we have greater access to the Fruit of the Spirit more powerfully too. So as we grow, we have more to give, so our best, gets better. But if we do not know WHO we are in Christ, how can we teach our children to be grounded in this solid, core identity?
We cannot teach what we do not know for ourselves. Each time we go to the next level in our relationship with God, we must come back to this most basic truth: you are God’s beloved, holy child! This is our identity in Christ from the moment we surrender our life to Jesus and into all Eternity. This core characteristic will never change because it is based on God, not on us. It is not based on what we do or do not do, what we have or do not have or whether we act like His child or like our old, broken self. Our New Creation ID is based on the Love of the Father, the sacrifice of the Son and the indwelling Presence of the Holy Spirit. Once we use the Faith God has given us to freely and willingly (see Free Will here) acknowledge we need Him and receive Jesus, we are sealed in the Holy Spirit forevermore. Thank You, Jesus! This is so very important to understand for ourselves so that we can teach this foundational Truth to our children too. This should give us a sense of relief to be who we are at each step of our growth, imperfections and all. This should help us receive and give ourselves the mercy required to forgive our mistakes and encourage us to keep moving forward. This should offer us the freedom to come to God and continue to learn the specifics of who He is creating us to be in His Forever Family. But if we do not know we are beloved, that Jesus has made us holy and that we are children still growing, learning, maturing and messing up, will we be able to teach this to our own children?
Identity crisis. In a world that increasingly promotes identity confusion, we must have a firm foundation of WHO we are in Christ, or else we too can quickly fall into this chaos. Once we begin to grasp this core Truth- that we are God’s, that we are His beloved, that He sees us as holy and that we are His child- then we can begin to ground ourselves on our next key identity feature, our sexuality. We will have begun to learn that our feelings are not truth, that our actions do not always define us and that our thoughts concerning our image can be distorted. For instance, we will know, just because we feel like God has abandoned us and no longer loves us, does NOT make that a reality. Just because we act like our old Prideful self, does not mean we are no longer holy. Just because we think we are so mature and know so much, does not stop us from being children who must continue to grow and learn. And the more we understand this as individuals and implement it as couples, then the more we can teach this to our children too. We begin to live by God’s Truth instead of leaning on our own understandings. (Pr 3:5) We will be able to hold on to the fact that God created each human in His Image, male and female God created us. (Gen 1:27) We will be able to embrace the reality that, even and especially when life is challenging, we have a God Who will never leave us nor forsake us, no matter what we think, what we say or what we do or do not do. (Jos 1:5) We will be more secure in the order God has created for marriage and for the family unit. We will be more resolved to follow God’s definitions of human sexuality. And we will be able to more accurately, and graciously, display this to the next generation, as well as to this lost world.
Mercy is vital. God knows we are not perfect. As He has told me many times, “Child, I am not looking for perfection. I have already found that in my One and Only Begotten Son. What I am looking for are children who will keep on keeping on.” As we continue to grow to become one with our spouse, as we continue to raise our children to be God’s beloved, holy children, please have mercy on yourself and each other. This is not a road without dips and valleys, but the more we ground ourselves in WHO God says we are, the smoother the road becomes. This continues to be my experience, and the more I engage in deepening this amazing relationship with my Holy Father, my Loving Jesus and my very Patient Teacher, the Holy Spirit, the more holy, loving and patient I become. That’s the Abundant Life. Want it? Then won’t you join me?
Until we meet again, keep lifting your eyes to God, He’s closer than you think.
<>< Peace, Diane
