![]() And it draws a straight line from all those gospel truths to the heart of my insecurities today. It shows me how these benefits equip me to reclaim my identity in Christ. It tells me in detail of the real benefits I have as a daughter of God. Ephesians defines my identity and security in Christ. This time, I was aware of my insecurities in a way I had not been before, and I was deeply moved by what I read. I had read through it before and heard several sermon series on it as well. There is a sense in which Ephesians is a condensed version of the whole story of Scripture. Was I really that dependent on my DRESS to prop me up to meet these people I had not seen in twenty years? Did I not have anything better than that on which to rely?ĭuring that season of contemplating my high school reunion, I also began a study of Ephesians. ![]() I sounded like an insecure teenager trying to determine her outfit for her senior prom. Wear my usual style of clothes? Do not try to project something about myself that is not true? But that leaves me exposed! I am a bit heavy and most comfortable in jeans and a black shirt. My husband finally told me to just be myself and wear the kind of clothes that I normally wear. I searched dress stores for the perfect outfit that would reflect the perfect image-to no avail. But after five months of faithful exercise, I had not lost a pound. If I was going to return to the scene of the crime, I wanted to be svelte when I did so. I joined a gym months in advance so I could lose the baby fat that clung to me two years after the birth of my son. Despite all the life-lessons learned and maturity gained in the last two decades, I found myself falling back into the same old patterns of insecure thinking as I contemplated what it would take to make me walk confidently back into the small town country club where I experienced my last painful high school dance. This was highlighted to me as I prepared for my 20th high school reunion. You will see this clearly if you read farther into this study of Ephesians with me. The problem was that I was trying to conform to the wrong image. I was classically insecure-constantly tweaking my appearance and personality to conform to the popular people-then withdrawing altogether when I could not figure out the magic formula for changing my image with either my peers or myself. Nowhere was this more obvious than my years of middle and high school. As I grew up, I admired from afar those who seemed comfortable in their own skin with the confidence to act as they were convicted rather than react in light of others’ actions toward them. Longing for affirmation and approval, their reactions determined how I would act next. Since I was a young child, I have watched others’ responses to things I said and did. Who are you? How do you describe yourself to others? For what do you want to be known? And in the stillness when no one else is around, how do you view yourself? If you are like me, you have likely spent much of your life trying to figure out who you are and what purposes and accomplishments will give meaning to your life. ![]() Introduction to By His Wounds You Are Healed ![]()
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