Do you hate to make mistakes or be wrong?  So did I.  In fact, being “right” was central to my identity.  But now, God has given me a new identity.

One night in the beautiful Tatras Mountains of Slovakia where I was teaching at a women’s Christian leadership conference, I couldn’t sleep.  I finally got up and had a conversation with God.  He showed me a picture of my heart, pierced through by a solid steel rod, about 12” long and 2” in diameter.  That rod wouldn’t break and it wouldn’t bend, and it signified my need to be “right.”  I could tell that God wanted to remove this cold metal from my heart, and I wanted Him to, but I didn’t know how that could happen and expected it would take a really long time.  Not only that, but as I tearfully beheld this picture and considered how central being “right” was to my identity, I had to ask Him, “Who then would I be?”  His reply was immediate and powerful, “A daughter of the King.”  With that settled, I let go, and He excised it instantly.

Sometimes I still want to pick that metal bar back up again, but it is no longer an integral part of me, and this changes how I interact with others, allowing me to be more open to them.

Jesus turned and saw her. “Take heart, daughter,” he said, “your faith has healed you.” And the woman was healed at that moment.  Matthew 9:22

I will be a Father to you, and you will be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty.  2 Corinthians 6:18