About Identity – I AM THE LILY

I believe that people have an innate desire within them to leave a deep and lasting impact on the world. There is a deep longing to be great not merely for fame but rather to be able to leave a mark and create change. The desire is to demonstrate that your life has meaning and purpose. While those longings are healthy and good, I’ve watched myself also begin to limit myself as a result.

I’ve fallen under the belief that these longings to have a life of influence, meaning, and purpose can only be met when I figure out my true calling in life. As a result of this belief, I have found myself stuck, afraid to move forward for fear of missing out on what will actually bring me fulfillment and/or being stuck in one lane when I’m passionate about so many other things.

My problem has been that I have attached my identity to my future destiny. I’ve unconsciously began to believe that in order to make a deep and lasting impact on the world, I have to find my perfect fit, and if I fail to discover my true calling then I will miss out on the opportunity to live a life inspired – full of vibrancy and purpose. I’ll end up in a second class destiny, plagued with the thoughts of “what-if” and left to pursue tasks that leave me wanting more. But, you see there are quite a few flaws with this type of thinking.

The first flaw is that I get to choose whether or not I was created to serve myself or if I was created to serve a much larger purpose. There is a bit of irony in my thinking because while I’m longing to leave a great mark on the world and inspire change, I only want to do it because of the feelings of purpose it will deposit inside of me. The reality is that as my identity becomes grounded in the Truth and knowledge that I am LOVED, then my desire to have a life full of vibrant purpose is actually finally possible because I know longer have to pay homage to and worship my self-god. I get to by-pass myself completely and give myself wholeheartedly to Truth, and as a result I will create a world in which inspiration thrives and significance is attained through Love. And from that place, anything I do and/or say will bring life to those around me as well as to myself.

The second flaw with my old way of thinking is that I have attempted to attach my identity to my calling when in reality it should be the opposite. My calling and the passions I have in life should be an off-shoot of my identity. When this happens, there is no FEAR of missing out because every opportunity to pursue my passions can be seen through the lens of anticipation and embraced as an adventure. It frees me from the need for perfectionism and the fear of missing out on greatness. Being grounded in my identity allows me to fall flat on my face, get back up, and run harder and faster than I ever have before after the passions that have been placed in my heart. It allows me to walk in the fullness and awesomeness of being THE LILY in a way that causes me to embrace my creative potential and unleash the imagination of my spirit to inspire and bring freedom to those around me. This shift in mindset brings with it hope and creativity. It does not leave me trapped in a prison quietly waiting for the perfect opportunity to come unlock my destiny. No, this new mindset sings of freedom, hope and joy. It is laced in love, and it is given by the One who gives GOOD gifts. And, it is my desire to receive all that is to be received from this perspective, then bypass myself, and give abundantly of the fruit of this freedom to all who come my way. And, I’m not going to stop until I am rooted completely in Love. It’s time to take adventures, pursue passions, and give freedom to the world. It’s a season of HOPE!

Embracing Adventure,

– The Lily

Jeremiah 29:11

“‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.'”

Life seems to be an endless scavenger hunt in the search for significance. We look for clues everyday to tell us where our true significance lies. We look for it in the expressions of the ones we love, in the numbers at the end of the day, in the smiles of content customers, in the giggles of children, in the praise of a boss, in the dreams of our future, and in the man in the mirror. And yet, all of those glimpses of significance are only clues that will either lead us to true significance or send us on a never-ending wild goose chase.

I’ve done both, and I can tell you that the goose chase only leaves you empty inside. The goose chase can bring you the highs that come with accolades from a great performance or with the approving gaze of a stranger. These highs feel exhilarating, but the problem is that they are short-lived and addicting. They actually condition us to seek out more attention and praise in order to get the next hit of euphoria, but what we don’t realize is that in our search for significance we actually give up our identity. We become only as good as the next high-five or pat on the back. The things we once loved seem to dim as they aren’t quite as appealing as they once were. We need bigger and better words of praise, and our performance now feeds our significance thus causing us to miss out on the joy of who we are meant to be. It is a vicious cycle with the allusion of importance, but in reality we are stripping ourselves of our very identity.

So, how do you avoid the endless goose chase? Well, what I can tell you is that your true significance can only come from the God who created you. He is the only one who can actually speak truth to you in a way that will cause your soul and spirit to awaken to who you really are created to be. And, the only way to hear Him speak to you is to ask Him too. It’s really that simple. It most likely won’t be an audible voice, but the more you ask, the more you will start to see the truth of who you are meant to be – a man/woman of significance marked by LOVE. And, the best part about this revelation is that it doesn’t have highs and lows. It only has highs that get higher. PERIOD. It doesn’t leave you in a funk always searching for the next bigger and better thing to tell you that you are worth something. It has a finality to it that is eternal, and quite frankly it is the biggest and best thing that there is in this life.

Although this may be new, I challenge you to take a few minutes each day this week, and ask God to show you your significance. It doesn’t have to be anything fancy. You don’t even have to close your eyes. Just ask Him, and listen to what He has to say. I promise you won’t be disappointed.

Asking and Listening,

– The Lily

Jeremiah 33:3

“Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known.”

Category: About Identity

Identity vs. Adventure

Finding Significance

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