It's All About Me... Or Is It?

Being a wife and a mom of 4 boys, ages ranging from 4-15, I often find myself wondering whether I'm coming or going! I believe all moms understand that dilemma! And if you are anything like me, you find yourself, at the end of the day, loving every minute of it! Yes, it feels a bit stressful, but the joy and pride I feel when I look at my boys makes my heart swell to the point that I fear it may even burst! Before becoming a stay at home mom, I worked full-time, had a part-time job, and also coached 2 sports throughout the year. Looking back at that crazy schedule, I wonder how we ever survived as a family! I missed so many little things with my older boys that I never even realized, until I was forced to slow down and do nothing. I'm blessed to enjoy those things now... And I'm loving it! The world revolved around my schedule, and my boys' schedules, and honestly, I thought life was great! I was making an impact in my job, I was touching lives, I was truly making a difference! We attended church, we read the Word and we took time for family vacations, which seemed to be more stressful than what they were worth, but we were doing it, and I truly believed we had it all! We survived, and I thought we were thriving! Oh, how deceived I was! I felt something was missing, but I couldn't define what it was, therefore I kept adding busyness to my life to fill that void. When the day came that my world seemed to come to an abrupt halt, I didn't know what I would do. I honestly didn't think i could survive. I didn't know how to live life like this! I felt I had totally lost my identity, because I identified myself by the things I did. I didn't even know who I truly was. This became apparent to me when someone asked me "what's your favorite color?" I was so disconnected with myself that I couldn't even answer that. I had no idea what my favorite color was. In fact, I didn't know anything that I enjoyed. Long and short of it all, I began a serious journey of discovering who I am...by learning who God is. He tells us who we are through His Word! We are the salt of the earth (Matt 5:13), the light of the world (Matt 5:14), children of God (John 1:12), a channel of Christ's life and His friend (John 15:5), chosen (John 15:16, Col. 3:12, Thess. 1:14), a joint heir with Christ (Rom 8:17), a temple-a dwelling place- of God ( 1 Cor. 3:16; 6:19) a new creation (2 Cor. 5:17), righteous and holy (Eph. 4:24)....and soooo much more! Long and short of it all, I am a beloved and precious daughter of the Most High. All of the other things that I clung to, to define who I was, we're all things that I DID, not who I WAS! I am so much more than that, because HE is so much more than that! To me, it was a revelation that became a transformation. In my heart, for my life, for my family. Thank You, Lord, for Your revelation! It is not about me, and can never be about me, until it is all about YOU! First and foremost. Then I become an instrument for You to use, to speak through, to minister through, to show Yourself through. I pray that it never becomes about me. Relying on my flesh, keeps me from relying on You, and takes Your hand out of everything I do. In my flesh I fail, but in You I am made perfect! Thank You, Lord, for Your grace in my life! For Your correction, for Your guidance, for Your never-ending love!