I AM

Everything you need for success, you were born with.

Did you know that?

That was a piece of advice given to me years ago, that stuck. At the time, it was in regards to singleness and the fact that God said "two will become one" - which means that the two had to be complete individuals, made perfect through Christ, that get joined. Not, two people, who were only halfway capable of functioning before they met each other. We were designed to compliment one another, not complete each other, no matter how romantic that notion may sound.

So take this advice and apply it to the rest of life: you were born with the ability to become everything God intended for you to be, just as you are. That doesn't mean you won't grow, that the Lord won't need to work in your life. It means that your body was born with the chemical make up to become what it's supposed to be: you are, as is, enough. And sometimes, that's a hard thing to accept.

That God's grace is sufficient. That you are enough. That you are loved, and forgiven, and chosen, no matter who you are or what you have done, and that nothing, and I mean absolutely nothing, can do anything to change that. You can not earn more love from the God who loves infinitely, nor can you screw up so badly that the Creator of Grace deems you unworthy of it.

I remember as a child, I used to ask my mom if she would always love me, and each and every time her answer was "always". "Even if I robbed a bank?" I'd ask.

"Yes, even then," she'd say.

"Even if I did something terrible, and went to jail," I'd persist.

"Yep, I'd still love you."

"What if I murdered somebody?"

"Still then I'd love you."

"Why?"

"Because you're my child."

Now, as an adult, I often struggle with the inverse of this: how can I make people love me more? What if I am not enough for their love? And maybe, you've heard similar thoughts shouted in your head. That you cause more trouble than you're worth. That the price paid for you is simply too high.

But let me be the first to tell you that those are LIES. Because to the Lord, you are priceless.

God, the Speaker of Truth, is not the one yelling. He is the whisper. He is the song in our hearts. He is gentle hands, and loving arms, and he is the parent ever so insistently telling us that we are loved.

We are loved. We are loved. We are loved. And no matter what we do, we will always, always be enough for HIM, and that's the only opinion that matters.

1 Peter 1:18-19 tells us that "you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your ancestors, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect."

We were bought with precious, priceless blood, and Jesus Christ did not regret it for one single moment, because to him, you were worth it.

The only thing Christ asks in return, is that we choose to love him back.

Years ago, I painted the canvas you see in the picture. I painted it with no other vision for design than simply the words "I AM" in reference to the song Who You Say I Am by Hillsong. Those lyrics go:

"Who am I that the highest king would welcome me... who the Son sets free, oh is free indeed... while I was a slave to sin, Jesus died for me" but the lyrics in particular that stuck out to me, were what follows, "I am chosen, not forsaken, I am who you say I am". That became, and deep down remains, the cry of my heart: I am chosen. Me. The person I think must work their absolute hardest to be loved by the world, is chosen by the One Who is Love.

And I think we all love to sing those words because they are awesome! But here's the part that people get hung up at: "I am who you say I am". Because when we give Christ the right to define our lives, we are taking away that option from the world. If Christ is going to define you, then the opinions of others cannot, because there can only be one ruler in your life who commands your attention.

If Christ is telling you who you are then your peers, your parents, your teachers, and your followers on social media cannot. And you know what? That means you can't define yourself either. It is vowing to start taking captive those thoughts that you let the Devil feed you when you look in the mirror: "I am not pretty enough", "I am not a good enough friend", "I am not smart", "I am a burden", etc, etc, etc.

IT'S TIME TO STOP! Because that is no longer the voice you are allowing to speak into your life!

This is who the Lord sees you as:

A soul 1 Samuel 16:7 - "But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.”

A product of Christ's workmanship Ephesians 2:10 - "For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them."

A chosen generation 1 Peter 2:9 - "But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvellous light."

A new creation 2 Corinthians 15:7 - "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come."

Fearfully and wonderfully made Psalm 139:14 - "I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well."

On and on and on, you can find so many scriptures about the truths about our worth, that negate the lies the enemy tries to throw at us!

And you know what, maybe the world won't accept you for it, but that is not who we are living for, nor can you gain perfect love from a imperfect world; Jesus was the only perfect man to ever live, and they crucified him.

I write this for myself, just as much as I write it for the person sitting in their room crying, struggling with feelings of inadequacy, seeking so desperately to know that they are loved as is. That they never were asked to fix their brokenness alone, but rather to come to the foot of the cross, the steps of the throne, fully undone, shattered in every way, and allow the Lord to grow in you a new creation.

To the Lord, your brokenness is beautiful. And that's the only validation you need.

Here's to being approximately, absolutely, enough...

-Emma

"Be fearless in pursuit of what sets your soul on fire."