It was an ordinary morning, the last Friday of September, but something about that cold, crisp air stirred something deep in me. Wrapped in my oversized flannel, my thoughts drifted to Psalm 139: the verses about being knit together in our mother's womb, about God knowing every detail of who we are.
I used to read the words of Psalm 139 and feel... violated, in a way.
The idea that God could see every thought, every fear, every broken piece of me felt uncomfortable. Was I truly known by Him? Was I worthy?
Like many women, I spent years trying to fit into boxes others had created for me.
As a wife, mother, and entrepreneur, I felt the weight of being "perfect" in every role, constantly measuring myself against a standard that seemed unreachable. I had even adopted identities that weren’t mine, because it felt safer to blend in than to be truly seen.
Anyone else?
It was during one of my rawest seasons—when life felt like a dumpster fire—that God spoke to me in a way that shattered every lie I believed.
He told me that the aroma of a dumpster fire—a life stripped of pretension—was more pleasing to His nostrils than the incense burning on a self-righteous altar.
Oof. That one stung, but it was exactly what I needed to hear to allow Him to burn away years of false identities that I had held onto, and quite frankly, made idols of.
I had been holding onto things that were never part of His plan for me.
It was in the season that came after that Word that I realized something profound. I had been rejecting the very core of who I was, out of fear, out of shame, out of the need for approval.
And worse, I was rejecting the truth of how deeply God loved me, exactly as I was.
The unraveling of false identities is not easy. It’s messy and uncomfortable, but it’s necessary.
As entrepreneurs and leaders, we often feel pressure to present a polished version of ourselves. But what if the world needs to see our brokenness? What if our stories of struggle, of uncertainty, of finding our way back to who we are in Christ, are the very stories that will set others free?
Today, I invite you to reflect on your own identity.
Who are you beneath the titles, the roles, and the expectations?
What false identities have you carried, perhaps unknowingly?
And how can you allow God to reshape you, to knit you together again, into the person He always intended you to be?
You are not a mistake. You are not too late. You are right where you need to be, in the hands of the Creator who knows every intricate part of your being.
Let go of the false labels.
Release the fear of not being enough.
Trust that the messy, unfinished version of yourself is exactly who God can use to make an impact in this world.
You are His masterpiece, and it’s time to embrace the creation you were always meant to be.