When I’ve gotten my identity wrong
When I first decided to start my own business, there were many challenges that I anticipated.
Will anyone want the products I’m creating?
How will I find customers?
How will I figure out solutions to problems I don’t know anything about?
What if it doesn’t work out?
These are all challenges I have encountered in some capacity along the way, but the biggest challenge I’ve faced as an entrepreneur came from something else.
How will I make sure to keep my identity separate from my business?
For some of you that might sound silly, but I’m sure there are others who fully understand how difficult it can be when you let your identity get too tightly wrapped up in something outside of yourself.
Maybe it’s your family. Your job. The way you look. The things you own. What people think about you. The list could go on and on.
While it might seem good to care about the things I mentioned on that list, and in some ways it is a good thing, it can also be a slippery slope because we are giving too much power to things that aren’t God.
It was a while before I noticed how much I had let my identity get wrapped up in Stand Unshaken, but over time I started to see evidence that it was happening. When something went wrong, someone cancelled their membership, or left an unkind comment on a YouTube video, it felt like it was a personal attack. It felt like it was evidence telling me that I wasn’t good enough and that I was failing at the task I felt God had assigned to me.
Another area of life that I’ve heard friends say they’ve experienced this is as a parent. I’m not a parent (unless you count golden retrievers), so I haven’t personally experienced this, but the sentiment feels similar. When your child makes a mistake, gets upset with you or does something they shouldn’t, you might feel like you aren’t a good enough parent or even like you’re failing at that role.
I don’t know about you, but I’ve noticed that these lies seem to be loudest when I am putting other things before God. Whether it’s Stand Unshaken, my appearance, my relationships or something else, when I put too much energy into these things and not enough into my relationship with the Lord, then I slowly lose sight of what is true. I begin to measure my worth by the things of this world.
Luckily for any of us who can relate to this, I don’t believe God ever intended for us to feel this way! Scripture says that God loves us not for what we do, but because we are his children.
Romans 5:8 says, “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
Yes - He wants our intentions to be pure and our hearts to be kind in all that we do, but he also knows that because of the brokenness in this world we will always fall short. Even when we are genuinely trying our best.
I have to regularly remind myself of this truth by telling myself that my value and worth are only found in Christ. Whether Stand Unshaken fails or succeeds, my value is only found in God. When your children do wonderful, kind things and when they do things that are hurtful or unkind, it does not have any affect on how much God loves you. We shouldn’t let it have any effect on the love we have for ourselves either.
If you struggle to keep your identity and worth separate from the things you do, or the titles you’ve given yourself, I would encourage you to spend time journaling and in prayer to help God put those things in the proper place in your life, so that you can continue to live out of your truest identity - a beloved child of God.
Are you looking for a community that helps point you back to Christ and his promises and truths? Maybe you’re looking for more food for thought and journaling prompts. If any of that sounds like something you desire or need, I’d love for you to check out the Stand Unshaken Collective membership!
In the Collective, you’ll have access to a community of support from likeminded women, live teachings, biblical meditations and Bible study videos, and a library of 250+ workout videos with everything from a gentle yoga flow to a strength-training practice!