I still remember giving up my job as a pharmaceutical Regulatory Affairs person to stay home with my brand new baby ~ Caleb.
Here's Caleb (and Abbie) again! In their Birthday suits! ~(^_^)~
Seven years went by so quickly! When my professional name plate came off the wall of my cubicle, I felt that my identity disappeared with it too. Having a kid makes a woman feel off-kilter for awhile, because who we were in the past seemed to be whited-out and we are given a new role by our new bundle of joy, and by our society. The years we put into college and career don't seem to matter anymore.
It is a tough place to be....but looking back, I realized that when I felt like "I Am Nobody", the journey of self-discovery brought out the best in me! If I were to start over again, I wouldn't change my decision to stay home.
Whether it's marriage, the birth of our child(ren), or the advent of retirement, we all struggle because our identity has been redefined. Title means a lot to us, but inevitably we will have to give up all of them, whether it be the unexpected departure of a spouse, letting go of our grown children, and losing (or retiring from) a respectable career position. [Even our health or our next breath are sometimes beyond our control.]
But during the times when we feel like "I Am Nobody", we are in the perfect position to be molded into the beautiful and powerful vessel God designed us to be. When CHRIST leads the IAN, he or she transforms into a person after God's heart ~ A True CHRISTIAN. This is a truly unadulterated title.
No other title is necessary to prop up our identity in this life and no one can ever take away our treasured title in Christ! That is a guarantee no government or institution can promise!
So if we ever feel off-kilter when our relationships or job titles change, hang in there! God has wonderful plans for your life! Everyone in this economy is facing uncertainties. Changes are everywhere. Just like the other day, my WAMU bank had become some other bank (still Chase?). Retailers which we grew up with are disappearing, like Mervyn's, KB Toys, Circuit City, and Bombay.
The medical community agrees: Change is the primary source of stress, and in recent months, change has definately snowballed! Whenever we feel inadequate due to changes in our positions, circumstances, or relationships, remember that it is liberating to be a nobody, because with Christ leading the Nobody, the CHRISTIAN becomes Somebody of real eternal significance!
Happy 2009! Let us we wait in anticipation of God's wonderful plan unfolding before our eyes!
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