There’s a strength that comes from knowing who you are in God that removes the fear of relationships. It allows you to be authentically who you are and to be honest with those whom God allows into your life.
-- B. Heard, commentary from the Women of Color Study Bible

You’ll continually find here in these scribes much talk about knowing and loving who you are. When you know yourself – knowing what makes you think, act, and feel the way you do; knowing what you want to receive from and give to life; and being aware of your strengths and flaws, cool and fears, likes and dislikes, and feats and failures - you’re better able to constructively discern and navigate the world around you and be in relationship with others who walk upon this earth with you. And when you love yourself, even and especially given what you know about yourself, you have conquered half of the battle necessary for victorious living.

An even greater carrot in the battle is knowing who you are as God’s precious lamb. The Bible clearly states that as children of God we are divine, compassionate, gentle, intelligent, justice-seeking, peaceful, and virtuous precious flesh. That description right there should give each us enough to leave behind our fears and say, “So what?” to our flaws, learn from our failures, and go forward in love and confidence to graciously receive others in our lives.

Therein lies the problem.

Often the closer others get to us, the more intimate our relationships become, the more likely we are to undo and unforgive ourselves, make excuses for that little thing we do, shut them down, or just run and disappear in the opposite direction. We are so afraid that as others get to really know us, when they get in our stuff and watch the unbecoming and precarious ways we wallow and grope in our madness, they’ll become dissuaded, disgusted, and completely turned off. Then, we’ll be alone. And who on earth wants to be alone?

God is convincing us daily that we are awesome, no matter what! God made us in the image of His Son, and you know, Jesus is all that. As you begin to really know who you are in God, to see yourself the way God sees you and love yourself in the way God wants you to love you, whatever anybody else sees as you reveal yourself to them, whether it’s good or junky, is okay. And whatever their response is to your revelations is okay, too. You trust God with you and in you, and, because of that assurance, you can risk yourself to others and be confident in your interactions with them.

When you’re aware of who you are AND how God informs that you, your total environment and the relationships within it are healthy, authentic, sound, and the life-affirming.

Sadiqqa © 2007