When I was a new Christian, I read Romans 9:21, and was perplexed. “Does not the potter have a right over the clay, to make from the same lump one vessel for honorable use and another for common use?” (The King James Version says, dishonorable use)
There are scads of women who lack the understanding of their Father’s passionate heartbeat for them and wonder if they were simply an after thought, meant to be discarded and dishonored.
When I was a widow I wondered if I would be forgotten. Now a friend who has lost both breasts to cancer and another who has suffered the debilitating effects of a stroke, struggle with these same questions. As I’ve witnessed these women process through these traumatic experiences, I’ve come to realize that most women struggle with the same issues of identity, but in a subtle, less horrendous way.
What woman doesn’t connect her identity to her feminine form? Even those that have rejected their femininity are in fact struggling against it. We all come face to face with our own struggle for identity. The ground my friends are fighting for in their own lives is a picture of what we all face as women.
The awful repercussions of the stroke have slurred my friend’s speech, left her arm dangling, her face with facial abnormalities and more. The everyday pleasures of playing her guitar are gone for the time being. She feels judged, mocked and shunned by people who gawk and don’t even know her.
As women, we battle for identity, even though the battle is often undetected and hidden from sight. Many women walk through life limp, lifeless and impotent of their true voice asking, Am I acceptable or am I a vessel of dishonor?
In the years I felt rejected and discarded as a widow, the Lord captured my attention and began to seal my identity with the strength of these words,
” :…I can’t keep my mouth shut…I can’t hold my tongue until her(your) righteousness blazes down like the sun and her(your) salvation flames up like a torch. Foreign countries will see your righteousness and world leaders your glory. You’ll get a brand new name straight from the mouth of God. You’ll be a stunning crown in the palm of God’s hand, a jeweled gold cup held high in the hand of your God. No more will anyone call you Rejected, and your country will no more be called Ruined. You’’ll be called My delight, and your land married, because God delights in you…
Walk out of the gates. Get going! Get the road ready for the people. Build the highway. Get at it! Clear the debris, hoist high a flag, a signal to all peoples! “Tell daughter Zion, ‘Look! Your Savior comes, ready to do what He said He’d do, prepare to complete what He promised.” Zion will be called new names. Holy People, God-Redeemed, Sought-Out, City-Not-Forsaken.” Isaiah 62: 1-5, 10-12
As you struggle with your own questions about identity remind yourself of your Father's heart for you!
