You are Mine

My last post was about labels, which I think go hand-in-hand with how we identify ourselves.  This is something I have thought a lot about because how we perceive our identity affects so much else about our lives - from our interactions to each and every one of our relationships.  As I have grown up, I have learned so much more about who I am and the traits and qualities that make me me.  I am a lot of different things, not one particular mold or role - and many characteristics make up the mosaic of who I am.  They intertwine and mesh together beautifully, just as God created them to do.

I am a listener - my spirit is quiet and empathetic and I naturally tend to gravitate to listening to the people around me rather than expressing what I have to say.  I prefer not to speak just to say something, but I want the words of my mouth to be thoughtful and meaningful contributions to the dialogue of life.  Active listening is a gift and skill, something I can always be practicing and improving.

I am a daughter - when I think about all the things I am thankful for, one of the first to come to mind is the amazing parents I have been blessed with.  I genuinely cannot imagine two more loving, supportive, and encouraging people to have had to share my life with.  They have always been there for me, through thick and thin, fighting for me even in the moments when I haven't been able to fight for myself.  I cannot express in words how much they mean to me and how much I truly love them.

My parents and I on our new tradition of running a 5K together after church on Sundays!

I am a sister - so my sister and I haven't always been super close, but I love her a lot.  We have grown up side-by-side, fighting, growing, and learning together as we both figured out the things we dreamed to do in life.  If there is one thing I admire about my sister, it is that she holds nothing back and doesn't let fear get in the way of pursuing her goals.  She is currently a Second Lieutenant in the US Army, and I could not be more proud of her.

At my sister's graduation from a leadership training course at Fort Knox 

I am a student - it is so hard for me to believe, but I am almost done with my Junior year at Appalachian State.  After some indecisiveness and changed decisions, I finally settled on exercise science as my major with a concentration in strength and conditioning.  I am so happy with the degree I am pursuing, and I can tell it is exactly where I am supposed to be.  Praise the Lord for finding a field that I am truly passionate about and the ability to get a college degree! (I need to remember how much of a gift this is when I am complaining about tests, homework, and nights of studying...)

With my wonderful roommate after one of our first football games as Mountaineers

I am a runner - all through middle and high school I ran cross country and a little bit of track and field.  I always enjoyed being part of a team and having a place of belonging - I made some of my closest friends through cross country!  Since coming to college, I have fallen in love with running in an entirely new way.  It is no longer an activity with any sense of obligation; it is something I do solely because I love it!  Distance running pushes me to new limits and makes me challenge my own preconceived notions about what I am capable of doing.  It is also one of the best physical manifestations of my faith - there comes a point in long runs where I have to depend on a strength that is bigger than myself.  This sort of reliance reminds me of the sustenance and strength I can receive only from my Savior, so cool!

Okay, not one of my better moments as a runner ( woes of some IT band syndrome), but despite the pain I  still loved that race, call me crazy

But above all these other things, I am a beloved creation of God, knit together delicately and intentionally by His creative hands.  These things make up a lot of who I am, but they have absolutely no bearing on whose I am.  So even when my understanding of who I am becomes cloudy, I know that I can always rest in the clarity of whose I am - the Lord's.

What is becoming one of my favorite passages in scripture and my reminder when I start to second guess my true identity is Isaiah 43:1-3; it says,

"But now, this is what the LORD says - He who created you Jacob, He who formed you, Israel: 'Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name; you are Mine.  When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you.  When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze.  For I am the LORD your God, the Holy One of Israel, Your Savior." (emphasis added)

When life gets loud and hectic, as it always seems to, this is the anthem the Lord sings over me to quiet my anxious heart.  His soft voice whispers to me and reminds me of a precious truth - "you are Mine."