I'm Not WHO I Was

14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. 15 My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, 16 your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be. 17 How precious to me are your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them!~ Psalm 139 

10th Grade/Present Day

 Last night, I was deep in a conversation with my natural sister when she did what we just LOVE our family members to do: she whipped out a 'blast from the past'. "Do you remember this girl?" she texted me. Well, I did! It was my younger self and Boy,do I remember her! I even remember the outfit. We joked about how nobody could tell us we were not cute back then. I do remember her: this girl was finding herself, skipping school, dating guys who cared absolutely nothing about her. Yes, I remember her very well. This girl was trying to act 25 at 15, experimenting with makeup, breaking rules to see if she could. This girl was told she would not graduate high school and would wind up with 10 kids at the rate she was going. 

I am SO THANKFUL that God had another plan. You see, I'm not WHO I was. And neither are you! I still like my off the shoulder tops (every once and awhile) but the inner me is no longer a girl, looking for identity in what I do, or who my friends are, or how many boyfriends I've had. Giving my life to Christ and making him Lord and Savior has renewed me and I've come to discover my identity in Christ. Now, what God has planned for me shapes my world view, and His plans far exceed my expectation. 

So often, we let people or things from the past hold us to who we were, and not who God has created us to be. I am able to say with assurance, "I'm not who I was!" God, in his mercy, allowed me to make mistakes, allowed me to grow up, and he kept me many times from death when in my immaturity and impatience to be grown, I ran right into trouble! God also set me in a family of those who would counsel, pray, correct, and actively guide me into pursuing my talents rather than pursuing trouble. 

I encourage you to reflect on who God has made you to be and just how far God has brought you from. And remember, you are still a work in progress, a beautiful picture that God is painting!

Psalm 25:7

Remember not the sins of my youth, nor my transgressions: according to thy mercy remember thou me for thy goodness' sake, O Lord.

Enjoy the link below to one of my favorite songs! Remember, You're NOT who you Were!

Blessings!