Tuesday Talk is about YOU…
Every Tuesday we engage in one big question, topic or idea. You are invited to write in with a suggestion you want to share. I surely do not have all the answers but know that together we can generate some great conversation and have fun in the process. (Feel free to post your topics, questions, and your great thoughts in the comments below!) Together, we will stay informed and equipped about topics that matter!
Tuesday Talk Question: Why was I inspired to write The Story of Leah?
Angela’s Answer: When I first heard the story of Leah, I was in ah with the way that Leah’s story addressed the fundamental questions that women have about identity. Questions that I had personally asked about my own identity as a woman, a daughter, a wife, a mother…
Who am I?
How do I love?
Who will love me?
How do I live?
What is my destiny?
In the past, many of my answers to these questions came from my desire to please others. The driver for my people pleasing was the human need for love and acceptance. I sought my identity and wholeness in men.
I had an expectation and a perception of how life was supposed to go. A script you could say. But what happens when the storyline you have written is interrupted and you are forced to die to the dream you once had about your life?
I remember the first time I read, Genesis 3:16b (RSV)
To the woman he said…”your desire shall be for your husband and he shall rule over you.”
I saw clearly in my fallen nature the desire to be the center of my husband’s world, and to find my identity in him, our children, and the approval of others. But this was not what God wants for me or any of His daughters. Truly, God should be the center of my husband’s life, not me. It is only pride that would lead me to this desire.
It is not until we find our true identity in Christ, making Him our center, that we can answer life’s fundamental questions and be the women (and men) God desires us to be. We will never have the full capacity to love others until we have allowed ourselves to be transformed under the true unconditional love of our Heavenly Father.
Leah was a woman who understood this life. She has a storyline written in her head – one of romantic love, children, and acceptance. But when her dreams were dashed she found the freedom to walk in the wholeness, acceptance and unfailing love of God instead of man and leave an amazing legacy for you and me.
Tuesday Talk is about you. Let’s chat!
Have you ever struggled with these questions of identity?
What role does trust play in making Jesus the center of your life?
Are you in need of the unfailing love and acceptance of Jesus today?
What do you think?