Nourishment 11

People with strong identities know what they want and need, and find it easy to make boundaries for themselves. They can govern what is good for them by themselves without being swayed by media, sales people, or persuasive individuals in their environment. This comes from knowing their values and knowing themselves. These individuals usually see people as being equal in value, allowing them to be confident in most any relational situation.

People with especially week identities look for their identity or happiness in other people or circumstances. It's easy for these people to join causes or strive for important jobs, nice cars or impressive college degrees in an effort to feel like they have a strong identity and purpose. Others let people determine their moods, action and even their personality traits, resulting in an emotionally volatile life. They might apologize too much for fear of offending others, or distance themselves with arrogance in an effort to protect themselves. They may be super sensitive to other's reactions. These individuals often see people on different levels of value, creating tension between those “above and below” them.

Identity isn't created, it grows in us over time as we nurture ourselves. We need to spend time learning who we are and protecting ourselves as we discover our values.

Prayer: Pray that God would help you discover who you are and who he created you to be.