If you are what you should be, then you will set the world on fire.
~St. Catherine of Siena
Despite my affinity for wearing princess dresses, my favorite outfit – the one I’d wear every day if my husband wouldn’t complain – is a well-worn pair of jeans and a comfy, cotton tee. Short-sleeved and white for spring or long-sleeved and black this time of year, I prefer vees and scoop necks. Crews? Not so much; they look like boys’ undershirts.
But today isn’t a day for wearing comfort clothes in the U.S., is it? At least not if you’re a kid (or kid at heart). Whether your children trick or treat or trunk or treat, whether they knock on doors, attend a fall festival, run wild at a school carnival or roast marshmallows at a harvest party, there’s a lot of costumes being worn.
The National Retail Federation estimates almost $7 billion in Halloween-related spending this year, over a third of that specifically for costumes. When my children were younger, I’d stalk the post-holiday Target clearance sales to snag dress-up clothes 75% off.
I remember the question we’d start asking weeks before the end of October: “What are you going to be?” My children attended a Christian school during their elementary years, so they were allowed to dress as their favorite Bible character. For them, it was, “Who are you going to be?”
Children love to pretend. Their imaginations haven’t yet been tamed into something manageable, dulled by the bounds of reality and conformity. For some, make believe is pure play, simple and undefiled, a chance for imagination to soar and new worlds to be created. Sadly, for others, it’s an escape from real-world disappointments or perceived failures or wishing to be something they’re not.
Sometimes grown-ups wear masks.
Mask-wearing manifests itself in so many different ways–
we hide who we really are in a misguided attempt to gain favor or fit in or be liked.
we wear a pretense of control when the interior of our lives is falling apart.
we smile on the outside when we’re crying on the inside, desperate and lonely and broken.
We compare ourselves to others, and in so doing, begin a long, spiraling downward dissent toward defeat because how in the world can a view of another’s imaginary perfection compare to our ordinary reality?
So we flounder,
and wallow,
and sink
under a weight of distortions and lies.
The enemy of our souls delights in our self-inflicted torment.
I’m going to be bold, friends. I sense a gentle nudge to speak a strong word over you. I’ve been praying over my (in)courage post the past month and had a totally different one 75% written when I felt like it wasn’t right; when all I could hear was the holy whisper, “Tell them who they are.”
Tell them who they are.
Remind them whose they are.
You are a wonder.
You are a wonder!
I’ve wrestled with God; the month of October I committed to write about the Wonder of Women (not 31 daily postings, but when I choose to write), so this is naturally on my radar. But couple that with my work for Bloom as book club coordinator; our fall selection is Emily Freeman’s A Million Little Ways, and her message has only seemed to reinforce what I’m telling you now.
Who are you? What are you? In Christ, you are:
chosen, holy and blameless (Ephesians 1:4)
redeemed and forgiven (Ephesians 1:7)
alive (Ephesians 2:5)
saved (Ephesians 2:8-9)
free from the law of sin and death (Romans 2:8)
a masterpiece (Ephesians 2:10)
blessed with every spiritual blessing (Ephesians 1:3)
a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17)
co-heirs with Christ (Romans 8:17)
a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession (1 Peter 2:9)
the righteousness of God (2 Corinthians 5:21)
loved as God’s children (1 John 3:1)
known (John 10:14, 27)
known (Psalm 139:1)
fearfully and wonderfully made (Psalm 139:14)
You aren’t just a daughter of a king; you’re the daughter of the King of Kings!
Can I get a witness?
Lovies ~ I know you know these things but do you KNOW THESE THINGS? Will you live their truth as if you believe it? One of the premises of A Million Little Ways is that God lives in us, eager to express himself through us using our unique gifts, talents, personality and propensities.
You are the only you who has ever lived and will ever live!
I’m convinced Satan understands our Kingdom potential and will do anything to fill our lives with distractions, to defeat us from the inside out. He understands the magnitude of St. Catherine’s quote – if we are what we should be (more than conquerors, recipients of every spiritual blessing, ambassadors of Christ…and all of the above), we will set the world on fire!
May it be.
robin dance :: pensieve.me
p.s. Sweet Jennifer of Studio JRU has created a print that beautifully declares this message–
Today through Sunday she’s offering them at 25% off using the code wonder. Please consider a purchase to support her and bless someone in your life. Our children need to know this message; our friends and family might need to hear it.