Imagine standing before a mirror, a knot twisting in your stomach, tears brimming in your eyes. Yet, within you burns an unwavering determination to see yourself as God sees you. You glance over the countless notes taped to the mirror, each one a promise to cling to, words breathed from the very essence of God, penned in His Word. With all the courage you can muster, you declare aloud how God sees you—your true identity.

Who are you? That’s a loaded question, isn’t it? Do you know who you are? Our belief in who we are fuels how we relate to ourselves, others, and God. Identity drives how we act, connect, love, forgive, and virtually all other aspects of our lives. Yet, most of us go about our hectic days, which turn into weeks, months, and years, without ever considering who we are and how our belief impacts our lives.  

We live in a world with good and evil. It may sound cliche’, but if we truly understood this truth’s magnitude, we might look closer within. There is One who came to give us life and life more abundantly and one who seeks to kill, steal, and destroy. There is a battle for our souls, and we have an adversary who knows if we are not living our lives from a place of power and authority, rooted as a child of God, he has a chance of winning. He is counting on us never discovering what Jesus died to give us.  

To identify who we believe we are, we must ask what shapes our view of ourselves. Many factors play into this belief system. However, there is one that stands above all and can cause tremendous destruction if not handled properly—our wounds. When we are hurt intentionally or unintentionally or are collateral damage in this broken world, the pain we sustain can warp and twist how we see ourselves. This pathway to corrupting our hearts does not seem fair because it is through the suffering of pain, yet we can not ignore its consequences.  

I speak from experience; I had no idea how much my wounded heart created fears and insecurities, which impacted the way I saw myself. The following is an excerpt from my personal journal. 

My entire life, I have lived with this insatiable desire to be loved, but I feared I would be rejected and abandoned all at the same time. Constant anxiety and never settled. Always looking for ways I can earn the love of those I love. Maybe they will love me back unconditionally if I could just be good enough. If I did everything they wanted and showed up extra kind, extra loving, extra giving, they would surely love me back. However, that never worked. I felt empty, broken, desperate, depleted, and lonely. I forgive myself for abandoning myself because I didn’t know any better. It was out of my pain that I believed this was the only way I would be loved. My entire life, I have only felt conditional love. This wound has to be healed.  

You must be brave enough to face the pain of the past to see where it has impacted how you view yourself and the damaging actions that have supported those distorted beliefs. Don’t let the enemy steal any more than he already has. You are a Child of God, and He wants you to live this life, not out of your pain, but out of the value and worth Jesus died to give you.  

I have done the gut-wrenching work of digging deep into the wounds that warped my identity, stole my peace and joy, and kept me bound in unfruitful relationships. Jesus walked beside me and healed my broken heart through repentance, forgiveness, and Godly counsel. I began to change what I said to myself and align my beliefs with who God says I am. It all started with a bunch of sticky notes filled with declarations of who God created me to be, backed by His Word, taped to my mirror. Several times a day, I declare these truths. I am no longer filled with sorrowful tears because my heart has caught up with God’s truth. My tears are now of a grateful heart that is healing and seeing myself as a daughter of the King!  

God loves you, too, and wants you to know who He created you to be. 

You are valuable – For you were bought with a price – 1 Corinthians 6:20 

You are loved – We love, because He first loved us – 1 John 4:19

God has called you by name, and you are His – Do not fear, for I have redeemed you. I have called you by name, you are mine – Isaiah 43: 2-3

You are God’s Masterpiece – For we are His Masterpiece created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them. Ephesians 2:10 

You are worthy of love – Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. 

You are chosen – you are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light. 1 Peter 2:9

You have all that you need – The Lord is my shepherd, I have all that I need – Psalms 23:1

Face your pain.  Heal your wounds.  Declare God’s promises. Walk in the victory Jesus died for!