Invisible, No More!

 Last evening I went to see a preview of the new Kendricks’ brothers film, Overcomer. I won’t be a spoiler to describe the masterful way that they wove complex themes together in this film, except to say the major theme was identity. I highly recommend you go and see the film for yourself when it comes out August 23rd. However, it gave me to think about what ‘identity’ means to me, referencing one of my favorite scriptures from 1 Peter 2:9-10 (NLT):

…for 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.

¹⁰ "Once you had no identity as a people;
now you are God’s people.
Once you received no mercy;
now you have received God’s mercy."

The best news we can receive that on a planet where over 7.6 billion people abide, that there is someone who not only knows your name and everything about you, but He as King over the universe, chose you; He established you as royalty and assumes a kinship so great that He has promised you a great portion of HIs Kingdom!  Hallelujah! We are invisible no more!

There were years when I felt as if I had no special identity. I wandered from day to day wondering what would happen next. After being persuaded that I could come before a holy God, just as I was, I found out that He received me and did not leave me the same. He gave me an identity as a child of God. He forgave all of my horrible sins; He began to infuse light into my dark heart. I began to understand I didn’t have to be afraid – afraid of what people think, or whether they would accept me or not. I didn’t have to look down on someone else to make myself feel better. I was accept among the beloved – I had my own family – didn’t have to be jealous of others. Yes, He called me out of darkness, and He opened up a world of light for, "I am His, and He is mine".

Maria