Sweet Home Santa Barbara

Thursday, July 11, 2013

Who I Am

I like to share my heart here, in case you couldn't tell :)

I like to share my struggles, my moments of weakness. I may not always be specific (thank you, discernment), but I do feel called to be open here. I feel called to share how I'm feeling, even if it's not rainbows and sunshine. 

Because of that, I can show a lot of my brokenness here. The more I get to know Christ, the more I realize how much I need Him. The more I realize how much the world needs Him. 

The more I get to know Christ, the more I realize why He was sent as a Savior. Because we are broken people who are in need of a perfect God. 

And thank goodness we have that!

If there's one thing I've learned recently, it's that God knows exactly what we need. And sometimes, that means protecting us from ourselves. Sometimes, that means saving us from the mistakes we are prone to make because of our sinful nature. 

But our God sees a whole lot more than we do, He sees the ending of the story that our vision just can't reach. And sometimes, He loves us so much, that He lets us make mistakes. Sometimes, He lets us stumble. Because He knows that when we pick ourselves back up, we will be changed. 

I recently had a moment like that. A pretty big one, actually. 

I was sharing my heart and processing with a very wise man. I was experiencing the waves of guilt, shame, regret. I was feeling every lie telling me that I am identified by my mistakes. 

And then this man asked me one question. One question that I will not soon forget. 

Who are you in Christ, Amy? 

And through tears in my eyes, I started listing the words. The words that are so much more than just words, they make up who I am

And they make up who you are, too. 


So while there is beauty in opening up and sharing my brokenness on this blog, I also want to stick to the truth here. 

I am not defined by my brokenness. I am made new, I have a new identity. 

And nothing that I do can ever take that away from me. 

Have a blessed Thursday, friends!

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

Amen! The power of the gospel is amazing because it is still saving us every day. That despite our failures and sins and faults, God offers us newness and grace and gives us beauty for ashes. We are His. :)

Pamela said...

I just love you :)

Shannon Q. said...

I hope one day we get to have coffee or take a walk on your beautiful santa barbara beach together because you are amazing girl!

Anonymous said...

I so needed this post! It's good to be reminded how we are seen by the Father sometimes.

Anonymous said...

You're just awesome :)

XO.

Leah said...

amen. amen. 'remind me, 'lest i forget who i am to you, that i belong to you'
beautiful reminder sweet friend. you are so loved, we are so cherished by Him.

Kiki said...

Wow, girl. I loved this so very, very much. It's so easy for me to identify myself based on worldly traits and my sins but you are so right, God sees us as perfect in His image and He wants us to see things through His eyes, too.

And I really loved the beginning of this post. There have been days when I wonder if what I'm posting sheds a good light on what being a Christian is. But then I realized that it's not about me and what I'm doing, it's about God and what He's doing. SO thank you for reaffirming that for me in today's post! :)

Anonymous said...

Who I am:

I think I've really messed up this time. My stubborn and aggressive nature has finally pushed my spouse and child away. I've criticized, cursed, been emotional dominant, and yelled one too many times.

I've never thought I wouldn't belong in my own home. Me being me just isn't gonna work anymore. I always thought my spouse was Ying to my Yang with me being able to talk with an unfiltered mind and soul. Turns out my spouse feels as if can't talk to me anymore. That confession just cut too deep. I feel like I've lost my only friend in this life.

It looks as if the only way to make this work, is to put on the nice person hat and never take it off again...

Signed,
Closing Up My Heart Again

Amy said...

To Anonymous,

First of all, bless you for sharing your heart here! I want you to know that I will be praying for you. Should you come back and see this, I want you to know that I will be praying for an abundance of grace to be poured out for you. There IS grace, there is always grace. It is never too late. I will be praying for restoration in your family, that Jesus would pour out His love to build and grow your love for one another.

Sending love your way, my friend.