Did you ever play princess as a young girl? I think we all have princess desires, of some sort, buried deep inside. The desire to be loved, admired and cherished resides in the hearts of all women. Some of us may have had fairy-tale, princess childhoods. Some may have not. We’ve all dreamed some version of our white, knight riding in on his horse and sweeping us off our feet to the wedding of our dreams. For some, this fairy-tale eventually became reality, for most probably a less “Disney” version of this fairy-tale was reality and some are still waiting for their white knight.
When the reality of life collides with these fairy-tale expectations, it can send us reeling into a downward spiral. But throughout Scripture, God reminds us that He loves us with an unfailing love. We are His treasured possession and in His great mercy, He has provided a way for us to turn to Him and find life as we never dreamed or imagined possible (Ephesians 3:20-21). The trouble is we often confuse our expectations of a fairy-tale life with the beautiful, abundant and satisfying life God has planned for us.
Perhaps a past experience or your current situation has left you wondering and feeling anything but cherished and loved. When you look in the mirror, what do you see? Do you see imperfections, past mistakes or hurts and inadequacies? Or do you see yourself as one completely and lavishly loved by God?
Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature:old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. —2 Corinthians 5:17
2 Corinthians 5:17 tells us we are new creations in Christ Jesus. If the truth of the gospel has transformed your heart and life, your true identity is no longer based on your physical appearance, your list of accolades and accomplishments, or your past mistakes, failures or hurts. Your identity is now found in Christ Jesus. You are a daughter of the King! You are a princess and Jesus, your Prince, is a prince to which none can compare!
Do you know who you are in Christ Jesus?
The lavish love of the Father has given you a new identity through Christ’s work on the cross. Jesus took our past, our failures, our sins and paid the price so that we might once again have access into God’s presence. He has restored the ONE relationship we need above all else in life—our relationship with God. Although we may still experience the consequences of sin, and the pain of our past does not disappear, we have acquired so much more! We have been restored into the one relationship that we need more than anything else in life—our relationship with God and we have access into His presence continually because of Jesus. In His presence we find strength to walk through—and work through—the consequences of our sin. In His presence we find a place of refuge and healing for past hurts and mistakes. And the nagging emptiness and void in our souls we’ve been trying to fill with all the wrong things, is completely satisfied and satiated in Him!
In His presence…
We find peace.
We find joy.
We find acceptance.
We find contentment.
We find comfort.
We find unfailing love.
We are no longer defined by our mistakes, our sins or our inadequacies. Our identity now rests in Christ Jesus.
So who are we in Christ Jesus? Here’s just a short list:…continue reading
