How we see ourselves impacts every fabric of our lives. This is why I think it is so important to learn and understand our true identity. God our creator along with the Holy Spirit and Jesus, in the book of Genesis, said “ Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that moves on the earth.”  Do you know you were made in the image of the God of the universe? Did you know you bear the resemblance of Jesus Christ and the ability to be a truth speaker like the Holy Spirit? When I learned this truth for the first time and even still today when I am reminded that I was created in the image of the living God I sit a little taller. I receive clarity of mind and purpose. And then I ask how and why?!

Ever stay up all night watching over someone? I remember the first night, my son, Sasha was in my custody. I sat up just looking at him while he slept. I was in awe of all the Lord had done to bring us together. I was also looking out for the night tremors people told me to expect, because it was common for newly adopted children to wake up scared and disoriented. I also remember the first night caring for my first newborn son at home. Watching over him making sure he was still breathing and did not roll over or get tangled up in his swaddle. I even remember the nights staying up watching over my Abuela to make sure she did not get up in the middle of the night and wander. Through all these times there are some consistent threads: fear, anxiousness, and lack of sleep leading to exhaustion and burn out. Oh how I am so thankful God is not man that He should need sleep! 

Ever struggle with following processes? I often find myself skipping quickly through computer wizard prompts to hurry and get to what I think is the intended end to then only realize the steps I skipped were critical to having the device or application function the way I had desired. Processes and order exist for a reason. By passing and skipping things does have consequences regardless if we acknowledge the impact right away or later. God is a god of order and not chaos, and His word follows suit. 

"Hindsight is 20 / 20" is how the saying goes. Do you ever realize how much understanding, knowledge, and wisdom you gain from looking back on your life experiences? While you are living the specific situation, right in the midst, you gain wisdom, but it is always far less than what you gain from it years down the road.  Since we are finite and cannot know the end from the beginning, and our understanding is limited to what we can comprehend based on revelations and experiences, it is part of God's design for us to learn in this manner. 

I was spending time worshiping when I came across a song with the lyric, "If I had my choice. I would choose you every time."  All of a sudden streams of tears poured forth onto my face because the lyric fell so fittingly with what I had been feeling but not able to articulate. It was uplifting to my soul that there was another person out their wrestling and battling with the same struggle. Desiring to spend all their time with the Lord, worshipping Him, talking to Him, seeking Him, reading about Him, listening to Him, but sometimes that choice is not feasible because we have to work our secular job or love on those around us or we temporarily get distracted by the battle between our flesh and our spirit. Paul, like this worship singer, understood this choice and desire, and in a letter to the Romans explains this wrestling.