permission to rest from identity
Get ready to live. I mean, live live, not just sorta, kinda, am-I-doing-this-right? live.
Here’s the thing. As our root of rest grows deeper and deeper, we get the exciting job of LIVING.
Yes, God has plans for you. Good ones. We know this. We believe it. Or at the very least, we hope it’s true. But what was once a really cool piece of wall art before wall art was cool (I’m talking Jeremiah 29:11 in bright, bold colors and geometric shapes here people!) is now a stressor.
Dang you, adulthood! Something about our growing up has caused us to hustle around “out there” to find our destinies. We leave no stone unturned. We follow every silly lead. We question and question without a real commitment to an answer. And when our out-there search fails, we’re distraught! Anxious! Defeated. Frustrated. Apathetic. Depressed. Forlorn (good word, huh?!)
Our Root of Rest BFF, Kris Vallotton, has one last thing to say to us about experiencing revival rest. (As a reminder, we’ve already covered the following in this blog and podcast series: “Revival rest is operating out of a sense of worthiness and well-being because of what Christ already purchased for us on the cross. Revival rest looks like working from love, rather than for love. Working from acceptance rather than for acceptance. Working from approval rather than for approval…”)
And now to finish this Root of Rest series within the Deeply-Rooted series, let’s unpack one last phrase. “Revival rest is...working from identity rather than for a destiny.”
All that scrambling out there trying to find my place in this world is the exact opposite of what he’s saying here. The exact opposite of rest. According to Kris, and echoed by me through trial and oh-so-much error, you will not find your destiny unless you first discover your true identity.
"The Life-Light was the real thing: Every person entering Life he brings into Light. He was in the world, the world was there through him, and yet the world didn't even notice. He came to his own people, but they didn't want him. But whoever did want him, who believed he was who he claimed and would do what he said, He made to be their true selves, their child-of-God selves." John 1:9-12 MSG
Your truest, most authentic self is your child-of-God self. The one who knows deep deep deeeeeeep down in the depths that she’s a chosen, Light-bearing, Daughter of the King. A woman with that posture is absolutely unstoppable -- a force to be reckoned with in the Kingdom of God. (Lord, I pray that I’m becoming her, too.)
So lady, it’s time to double-triple-down on getting into the holy rhythm of rest. Discovering, claiming, and securing your child-of-God identity will usher in more peace and clarity about every other aspect of your life, including your destiny. Your destiny (or your identity for that matter) isn’t meant to be a secret or an unknowable, unwinnable quest. It’s your next step and your next step and your next step taken as your truest self. The quiet-spirited self. The holy assured self. The peace-that-passes-all-understanding self. The overflowing with God’s love and light self.
And you become her when you work with Jesus on the inside! Doing the tough, sometimes-painful internal work of uprooting, healing, unlearning, and forgiving. It takes time. Effort. Patience and grace. Compassionate curiosity. And faith upon faith upon faith that God is who He says He is, and everything He says about you is true.
Join the conversation in this week’s podcast episode, and get your very own digital download or hard copy of the Deeply-Rooted 12-Day Devotional Journey!!!
xoxo,
Lisa
