I AM HER

-I am unrelenting so my children will not have to fight the battles that I have won.

-I am no longer scared to reveal who I really am for fear that I’ll be rejected again.

-I have been both celebrated and despised for the way that I look, and I will no longer listen to the voices.

-I am creating a safe place so that those in my presence can know the warmth of a loving Father’s embrace.

-I choose love in the face of hate, kindness when contending with anger and blessing instead of cursing.

-I have been told that I am disqualified, damaged and less than, and still I will bravely share my story.

-I will use the voice that I’ve been given, knowing that by bravely speaking out my own story, I’m changing the world.

-I will courageously share my authentic self with the world.

-I am powerful beyond measure because the Holy Spirit lives inside of me.

-I am a beloved daughter of the Most High God, and I will not fear.

-I am on a journey of becoming, and my process is beautiful.

-I am contending with unseen forces, and I am winning.

-I am a quiet champion, daily winning battles of which no one knows.

I Am Her

Every day we are forging ahead, pushing through mindsets and prejudice, to make the world a better place. The world is changing, evolving, becoming a safer home, one that will be kinder and gentler to those that follow us. They will not have to fight the battles that we have won. They will not come against generations of being told that a woman’s place is in the home. They will not know the hollowness of seeking authority granted only at a man’s side. They will not know the pain of being valued only when they measure up to society’s expectation of beauty. They will be cherished and valued for who they really are. They will not know fear like we have battled. They will live in the freedom to walk out their dreams.

Buried deep within us is our pain, our grief, and our losses. We have been wounded, but greater still lies within us the hope for a better future, the possibility of tomorrow, and the joy for today. We know that in speaking out the truth of our past, the reality of who God created us to be, and our faith in Him, the world will be changed. Through small kindnesses shown to passing strangers and tender words spoken in adversity, we are lifting one another up out of the mire, and cheering each other on. We are never alone. Someone before and behind us has been in our same circumstance. God is ever present, at our side. We must rally with those around us, knowing that our strength lies in our unity, and in sharing who we are with another.

Our family history has shaped us, our own journey has molded us, but God created us and His truth of who we are is eternal and everlasting. We will no longer live in fear, cowering to what others believe or might think. We know who God says we are and nothing can stop us from believing Him. This truth strengthens our resolve, making us want to dig in and try again, and do better tomorrow. The lies and false words that used to bind us have been released to embrace the truth of who God created us to be.

We are free.

We are known.

We are loved.

We are becoming.

We are telling our story.

We are changing the world.