identity

i was lying in bed...no really, i was...and all of a sudden, i began to think about identity.

for most of my life, i have not struggled, but gone along with the "tags" people have given me. here are some of them:
one of the guys
drama nerd
nerdy/geeky
plain jane
sports fanatic
tall, thin model looking friend

and the list goes on.

i am, in a sense, all of those things but they are not what i am identified by... at least i hope i don't make those my identity. what do i want to be seen as?
child of the King
a worshipper...not just on Sundays when i'm singing, but all of the time
a young woman who knows God's plan for her life and is going to live it out
someone who loves to laugh
a good friend and sister
a good daughter
a hard worker

i can only hope that my life reflects those things. i have learned that i don't need to have a "tag" to make me feel like i fit in or that i need to hang out with a certain crowd. i have learned that i don't need a boyfriend to make my life complete or that i don't need to spend every moment of my day with my friends or fully engorssed in my work. granted, i do spend a lot of time with my friends and i do devote a lot of time to work...but that is because i choose to do so. i don't do it because that is where my identity is based. i still have that idea in my head sometimes though...it goes something like this:

i'm a single woman living in an apartment somewhere. i work all the time, see my friends on weekends and generally do what i want when i want. my life really does consist of going to work and then coming home to my dog. i dress well and am a bum on the weekends. i work out when i can, which is mainly me going out on my bicycle. i am an aunt to my siblings kids and even to my friends kids. i'm the fun aunt, the one who gives them gum and soda. i love my life and the people in it...things could not be better.

when i was in high school, that was generally how i decided i was going to be when i got out of college. i made that my identity. strong, indepenent woman who was always a bridesmaid never a bride. i didn't want to get married. i was fine being single.

somewhere in there, i lost that vision. well, not really lost it, but it changed. i changed. God definitely stepped in and changed me. i am fine with where i'm at in life. i love it. this past year has been the best year of my life. if you look at the things that happened in it, you may disagree with me or you may think i'm a nut.(well, not everything was bad and nothing was horrible, but there were some very interesting events that took place) however, my identity is not in the things that happen in my life and is not in the circumstances that surround me. my identity is in my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. He saved my soul and gives me joy, peace, and comfort. i know that i do not have to place my identity in this world.

and with all of that, i say to you (who ever you are dear readers...if you are there at all) that you should think about where your identity lies. is it in what people say about you and tag or dub you? is in in the circumstances in your life? or does it lie in the arms of Jesus?

good night.