My relationship with my daughter has helped me to see my relationship with God in new and eye-opening ways. One of the first things God spoke to me about in regards to identity is the idea that identity starts with intimacy and leads to intentionality.
Shaped and Molded Through Relationship
As a new mom, I’m constantly (and excitedly) picking up on the different things my little one is doing, saying, and learning. It never ceases to amaze me how she’s always growing and changing.
One thing I noticed early on is that my daughter has a special affinity for music. This girl loves to sing her little heart out, and she can actually carry a tune. On any given day, you might catch us in the car having our very own sing-along, very likely to Peppa Pig, Paw Patrol, or Encanto. Maybe even throw in a little Kirk Franklin or Fred Hammond too.
In reflecting on her time in the womb, I remember how she moved about the most on Sunday mornings when we were at church. And not just at any random point of the service, it was always during worship. Not during the welcome, the sermon, offering, or communion. Always worship. And once the music stopped, my belly would become still again.
She also moved around alot whenever I would play music around the house, whether I was cleaning or working or just jamming out. And she’s kept this up since making her debut earthside.
Her connection to these melodies began even before she ever took her first breath. It was in conjunction with her relationship with me that she was introduced to music in the first place.
Now, as I watch her enjoy times of worship or we break out in random song and dance, I see how she is being shaped and molded through our relationship. Similarly, we have been shaped and molded by God.
Knit Together In My Mother’s Womb
In Psalm 139:13, David says of God, “For it was you who created my inward parts; you knit me together in my mother’s womb.”
Birth is one of the most miraculous and mysterious things about life. The beauty of birth points to the omniscience and sovereignty of the Lord God. Within the womb of a woman, her child is formed, and not of her own accord. The internal intricacies of pregnancy naturally take place within our bodies but without us ever putting our hands to them. Instead, it is God who fashions, forms, and creates our inmost being within our mother’s innermost parts.
The Hebrew word kilyah, (pronounced kil-yaw) used in this verse for the phrase “inward parts,” can be translated as kidneys, heart, mind, or inmost being. Through His care and calling, God creates both our physical bodies and our mental capacity. He knits together, or entwines, our essential organs and our intellect. And not only does God create us, but He takes the time to screen in and protect those components that make us who we are.
Discovering Our Identity Through Intimacy with God
When we look at Psalm 139:13, here’s what we see: Identity starts with intimacy, more specifically intimacy with God. Why does that matter?
While mothers are the vessels used to bring life into the world, God is the one who creates and knits us together in our mothers’ wombs. In order for you to truly know who you are, who you were created to be, you must first get to know God.
For us to get to the point where we praise God, like David did in Psalm 139:14, because we know without a shadow of a doubt that we are fearfully and wonderfully made, our souls have to first come into the knowledge of His wonderful works.
To know that God’s thoughts about you are precious and vast (Psalm 139:17), you have to spend time in His Word, getting to know who He is, what He says, and what He thinks about you.
Your identity is not found in your roles or relationships, achievements or ambitions. Your true identity lies in Christ, and it is found through intimacy, closeness, familiarity, with the Father. When you get to know God, you get to know who he created you to be. Knowing and walking in the fullness of your identity also leads you to live your life intentionally, in a way that 1) is pleasing and honoring to God and 2) impacts and transforms the lives of others.
Pause & Reflect
As you reflect on today’s post, take a moment to consider your own relationship with the Lord, and answer the following questions as you journal with God:
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What does my intimacy with the Father look like?
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How can I dive deeper into my relationship with Him?
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Through my closeness with God, what has He revealed to me about who I am?