Who You Say I Am

Song written by: Reuben Morgan, Ben Fielding
Performed by: Hillson Worship

Welcome back to the long overdue fourth devotional!

This week's song has a special place in my heart; the importance of its key principal just tugs at my heart. God has placed a special burden on my heart, maybe even a calling, that each person should truly know and experience the depth of His love. God tells us we are His child. That is who He says we are. The depth of that love is something that changes us in ways only possible through Jesus; it's even more than we can fully comprehend. While I know I won't come anywhere near close to touching everyone in this world, oh how I pray this week's devotional helps each person journeying it to experience more fully how deep and wide the Father's love for us.

Many of you know that Ben (my husband) and I are currently journeying through the process of adoption. Our primary reason behind growing our family through adoption stems from this very principle: our adoption through Jesus Christ. This song for me is an anthem that I pray each of my children can joyfully sing out some day. I pray they know that in all things, even in the places their earthly adoptive parents failed, their Heavenly Father is speaking such great truths of His love.

We'll focus our daily devotionals this week by comparing our earthly childhood to being God's child. I know we all come from such varying backgrounds for our childhood. Some of us have great memories, others of us look back on that time with pain – and many of us fall somewhere in the middle. When God called me to this song for the devotional (again, through our Sunday worship service at church), I specifically felt Him tell me to do two versions of this devotional. Let me tell ya, I certainly fought God on that at first, telling Him there was no way I could do two different versions. But He insisted…and I submitted to His perfect will.

Thus, this week there are two different versions. One version is for those of you who more strongly affiliate with the idea of a happy childhood – while you may have experienced hardships or challenges, you most commonly look back and can say it was a happy childhood overall. One version is for those of you who more strongly affiliate with the idea of a difficult childhood – while you may have some happy memories, you most commonly look back and feel difficulties or pain from your childhood overall. I know many of you may feel you're in the middle somewhere, but I encourage you to spend a few minutes to determine which version you more strongly feel represents your perspective on your childhood.

A few disclaimers:

• Although there are two versions, they cover the exact same scriptures each day and the exact same prompts. The prompts have just been slightly reworded to fit the version. However, even many of the prompts are identical.So, no, you're not missing out on anything by picking one version over the other. 😊 And for any overachievers out there (hand raised high right here!), no, it won't likely benefit to do both versions.
• These versions are not meant to differentiate us or create two different groups. Rather, I feel God has told me the two different versions will better speak to varying experiences of childhoods, so each person can more fully grow in their understanding of their adoption in Jesus Christ.
• Neither version is a perfect reflection of anyone's childhood experience. While I attempt to cover many experiences, as a result, questions may have to be generalized to try to cover those many experiences. I encourage you to dig deep in even the surface questions.God will guide you…He can take you so much farther than I ever could.

No matter what your childhood experience, know that God is using it to prepare you. He loves you. You are His child. He is taking care of you.

My prayer for each of you this week:

And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord's holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.

- Ephesians 3: 17b-19