*Affiliate links included.
I had the privilege this weekend to steal away for a few hours to have some much needed quiet time with the Lord. As I prepared for my time, I was burdened with a recent episode with my daughter’s behavior. Knowing this frustration could easily distract me from what I needed to hear from the Lord, I surrendered those feelings and tried to focus on other things. Here is where that focus led.
We, as humans, carry many different labels with us wherever we go.
Some good and some bad. Some identify the roles we play in others’ lives. For instance, when my daughter sees me, I’m mommy. When my husband sees me, I’m wife. We can also be daughter, grandmother, sister and aunt. We are sometimes identified according to our passions: homeschooler, foster parent, missionary kid, teacher, writer, activist, or artist. The list is limitless. These are the many ways that others see us and categorize us.
How does God see us?
When I come to Him in prayer and begin to voice my petitions, does He categorize them by what role I’m asking them from?
I realized very quickly in my train of thought that the list of labels from the Lord is a list of one: His child. In His eyes, I am only His child. What if I began to pray as His child? What if I entered into worship in that role, stripping away all this life has made me to be and letting His arms enfold me until I am only a child of God? This is exactly what this song by Kathryn Scott says.
Click here if the video is not visible: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=93P0xVx5Tw8
How would it change the way I worship and the way I pray?
As I began to worship with this in mind, the Lord took it a step deeper. How are we labeled by the outside world? Sometimes, we are labeled by our sin. We are liar, hypocrite, adulterer, addict, alcoholic, or prodigal. My conviction came tenderly as I thought of my precious daughter. How many times have I introduced her to someone new as my difficult child? I may not use that exact label, but the label I choose holds that meaning.
Our Father sets a much better example to follow at least two times in Scripture. God introduces the subject of Job to the devil, “Have you considered my servant, Job? There is no one on earth like him. He is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil.” (Job 1:8) Then in Matthew 3:17, God introduces Jesus to the crowd after His baptism, “This is my son, whom I love; with Him I am well pleased.”
After quickly going to my knees in repentance for how I’ve labeled my daughter, I began to worship in a new way. I began to worship believing I was labeled by the blood of Jesus, as a child of God.
We are His creation.
Look at what Psalm 139 says about God’s creation:
Psalm 139:14 “I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; marvelous are Your works, and that my soul knows very well.”
Did you catch that? Marvelous! His works are marvelous! That means you are marvelous! This changes everything. It changes how I come to Him in prayer. It changes how I worship. It changes how I pray and how I see those around me, especially the precious gift of my daughter.
Funny how that distraction I mentioned at the beginning came into perfect light after this revelation. God is so good!
About Hope Wingate
My name is Hope Wingate. I live in Hoschton, GA with my brilliant husband, Jonathan and two incredible children: Aaron who is 7 and Adaira who is 4. I am a very enthusiastic stay-at-home mom and homeschooler. My heart beats for encouraging young mothers and I enjoy lead teaching classes for my local homeschool co-op. In my spare time I enjoy: sewing, rubber stamping, reading and watching BBC shows on Netflix.
