What You are Not

A few years ago my left foot had developed a "stress reaction" and I had to take a break from running and wear a boot.  After several weeks wearing this boot, I was getting frustrated and desperate for "my" injury to heal, and I happened upon a woman in my church who stopped, placed her hand on my foot and prayed for healing.  We got to talking briefly about what was going on with my foot, when she said something that has stuck with me since.

She told me that I needed to stop taking ownership of the injury.  That the injury did not belong to me and that I needed to stop defining who I was by this one injury.  She told me I was God's, and that God gives good gifts to his children, so why would I accept this curse as my own.  I needed to release the injury and fully give it to God.

I got to thinking about it and she was right.  I was taking ownership of the injury as though it was inevitable and belonged to me.  If I really wanted to be released from the injury, I had to release it and allow God to heal it.  This is not an easy concept to grasp much less to do and it takes a lot of refocusing your heart and mind.

I was thinking this evening about how we often take ownership in our imperfections.  When someone says I am overweight or I am obese they are defining themselves as overweight or obese.  If that is who you are, then what motivation really is there to change?  It can apply to so many conditions, think about it, I am diabetic or I am an addict.  If this is who you are, then there is no need to change... right?  Because when you change, then who are you?

The opposite is true, you can define yourself as your accomplishments.  I was obese, but now I am thin because I ate healthy and started to exercise.  I learned this a few years ago.  For the longest time, I would define myself as the guy who lost a lot of weight.  People would be talking and I would be thinking, not long ago, I weighed more.  Another instance would be when I met someone new, Hi, I'm Paul, you don't know this, but I lost a lot of weight.  I didn't really do this, but I thought it... a lot.

The thing is, ultimately, no one put me on their shoulders chanting my name.  I still went to work, did my job and came home.  My wife and child still loved me regardless of the weight loss.  I was and am still me, whether fat, thin, tall, or short.

As we travel through this 40 day Lenten fast, I challenge you to some introspection.  Really examine yourself.  Journal if necessary.  You are a unique and lovely person and you are better than you think.  You are not your weaknesses, nor are you the sum of your strengths.  You are not your failures, nor are you the sum of your successes.  You are not your ailments, nor are you the sum of your health.  You are a beautiful child of God with a purpose and a call on your life.  You are the only thing that can stop you from pursuing that call and purpose.

I truly believe that there is an enemy that tries to stop you from seeking your call.  The enemy will use anything in his arsenal to prevent you from even trying, because he knows that if you rely on God's strength, you will accomplish God's call on your life.  The enemy uses obesity, addiction, health condition, injury, psychological attacks and many more weapons against you.  The moment you release these attacks and disown them, the moment you give them fully to God, you will, in God's full strength, see and experience all the great things He has in store for you.