Lie:  You have no purpose

Truth:  Because you matter, what you do matters. 

The first time I realized I had purpose was when I gave birth to my first-born son, Robert. I was 25 years old. I was a broken woman living in a broken world, only now I had a child to care for. The only thing that mattered in that moment was my sweet baby boy; making sure he was loved, nurtured, and protected. My purpose at that time was crystal clear: I was not going to allow my past to affect my son’s future. 

Believing you have purpose brings:

1. Humility – character gives you strength (not weakness)
2. Community – locking arms gives you confidence
3. Control – words not used as a weapon but for encouragement.  

Believing in yourself leads to power. And with power… you can conquer the world!

Lie: You have no voice.

Truth: Because you matter, what you do matters, and what you say matters. 

I was in my late 30s when I realized I had a voice. I was well into my journey to find truth, when I met a woman who shared a similar past. And as we became closer friends, we begin to meet other women who were abused as children, which helped us not feel so alone. So we started a group for women who suffered from childhood sexual abuse. As individuals, we struggled to find our voices, but when we came together, we had a lot to say. We spoke openly for the first time in our lives about our past. We found comfort and freedom from sharing our painful hurts with one another. And when the light shined on our pain, the shame melted away. 

What you say matters.

We were created to express ourselves. We were created to be heard. Not only do we want to be heard, but we want to be understood. 

Once you decide to pursue truth you will discover your voice, and what you say and what you can do is important. And because you have value, you have power and ability to help fix the brokenness in your life and the lives of others.

Lie: You are defined by your mistakes.

Truth: Because you matter, what you do matters and what you say matters, you have what it takes to live a healthy and happy life. 

My family always saw me through the lens of my mistakes, until I was 43, when my brother David, died. Up until then, I was always reminded of my past. But when David died, something shifted, and my family looked to me for comfort. They saw me as a strong anchor in the midst of this grief storm. Because I was no longer seen by my mistakes, I was seen by something I didn’t even know.

Listen, the bad things don’t define us…the good things do. Believe in yourself, that you CAN do good things. Believe that there is nothing holding you back from moving forward, no matter what people say. You have what it takes. The things you have done in your past are not the things you were created to do. But those things that you were created to do are still sitting there waiting to be done. Believe that YOU ARE the one to do them.

Don’t ever forget the truths that you’ve uncovered as you journey up the ladder to greater truth:

1 Because you matter,
2 what you do matters and 
3 what you say matters, 
4 you have what it takes because 
5 EL ROI SEES YOU 

Talk to you next time.