Who Am I?

Our culture's image of the superwoman juggling career, home, family, and a personal life—and doing it all flawlessly—can make us feel we'll never measure up, no matter how furiously we work.

God doesn't want us to feel like failures because we can't meet the burdens of someone's expectations. We suppress our personal desires and neglect our needs as we try to fit the image of a perfect woman, wife, mother, and Christian leader. Then we wonder why we feel so unfulfilled.

We demand perfection from ourselves, but God doesn't; he just asks for an obedient and teachable spirit. God offers to give us wisdom when we need it (James 1:5), strength to do everything we need to do (Philippians 4:13), and his power to work within us (Ephesians 3:20).

What we do and how we perform doesn't define us. Our core identity is found in our relationship with Christ, the only role that is eternal. Being a child of God doesn't look the same for every woman. We all receive salvation from the same source, and God's goal for each of us is to grow more Christlike. But in between are many different paths involving a vast range of gifts, desires, opportunities, and choices. When we feel as though we don't know who we are, we can remember whose we are. And we can ask him to show us our true identity.

[Q] If you struggle with guilt that you're failing in one or more of your roles, what do you think is the source of this guilt?

[Q] Have you ever resented the way someone labeled you? How did you handle it?

Make a Change: Do you need to accept that you cannot do a perfect job? Thank God that he accepts you in all your imperfections and ask him to reveal what he expects of you.

For an expanded version of this study, download Who Am I? To download more studies like this, go to ChristianBibleStudies.com.

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