More From Lei Cao Garcia-Bote

I am a child of God. I belong to God’s family. This truth was clear to me when I wrote today’s devotional entitled “True Identity.” I am a wife and a stay-at-home mother, and I am at peace with myself. I have happily devoted my time to taking care of my children and supporting my husband.

My husband is a hardworking man who is very successful in his career. My two children are high achievers. They are consistent honor students who receive awards and recognition from their respective schools. I love them dearly. And I am so grateful and proud of all they have accomplished.

Years went by, and I found myself confused and doubting my identity. There was an unrecognizable sadness seated in my heart. I didn’t realize it at first. In my prayers I was asking God, “How about me? Is there anything wonderful you have prepared for me other than being a wife and a mother?” I experienced self-pity and was jealous and envious of my husband’s and my children’s achievements. I felt sorry for myself.

I thank God because during those days of sadness and confusion, the Lord reminded me of who I am. I read Psalm 139:14, which says, “I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made, your works are wonderful, I know that full well” (NIV). The Lord impressed upon my heart who I am in Christ. I am precious to God not because of what I can do but because of what God has done for me. I repented and asked the Lord for forgiveness. The Lord was gracious and embraced me with unfailing love and understanding.

The negative emotions I felt were not gone instantly. But instead of focusing on them, I busied myself reading scripture. Romans 12:2 became a powerful corrective verse to my searching heart. It says, “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.” I understood that the Lord wants me to be devoted to God while I continue to love and take care of my family. This is what the Lord has already planned for me to joyfully do and enjoy. If only I will remind myself of this wonderful truth every moment of my life, I will have no reason to doubt. Praying, talking to God, and renewing my mind of God’s truth by reading God’s word are the things that help me stand firm in God’s will for my life.

I am God’s precious child; I belong to God’s family. First Peter 2:9 puts this beautifully: “But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.”

God’s word gives me overflowing guidance and encouragement. When it was not yet clear to me the purpose of my life’s experiences, God had already perfected it for me. l am God’s precious child, created to declare God’s faithfulness and generosity. I am God’s precious child made to honor the Lord because of the extraordinary gifts God has given to me and my family. My life and the lives of my husband and my children are living testaments of God’s unconditional love, God’s acts of mercy, and God’s abounding grace.