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Daughter. Sister. Mother. I wade through the words that describe me and wonder which ones to choose. Wife. Friend. Teacher. I need an updated bio to explain who I am and what I do. Yet choosing the proper words and accomplishments is scary because what if I don’t choose correctly? What if the result isn’t good enough? What if I’m not good enough?

We all need to describe ourselves. From parties, to resumes, to meeting someone new in the grocery store, we need to tell others who we are. Do we use our work titles, our family titles, our past accomplishments?

In the letter to the Colossians, Paul introduces himself as, “Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God…” (Colossians 1:1, ESV). An apostle is a delegate, a messenger, one sent forth with orders. Jesus chose Paul and gave him a job to do. To Paul, that was his identity, his most important job, and how he’d probably write his bio.

When my children were small, my husband and I decided I would stay home with them. I remember the first time I spoke with someone who didn’t agree with our decision.

“You don’t work? You went to college and now you’re staying home with your kids? I’m not wasting my degree.”

It’s been over fifteen years since my friend spoke those words, yet I still feel the sting. I felt as if I’d wasted my life and I wasn’t enough. I wanted to explain, do something different, be someone different. Now I look back over the years I spent with my children and I realize no time was wasted. It was what God wanted for me and my family during that time in my life.

Being a stay-at-home parent was an important part of my life, but it wasn’t my most important role. Trusting Jesus Christ has been the most important decision in my life. I am enough because God made me enough. I know that the world may not agree with the decisions I’ve made in my life, but I’m okay with that because, as Paul said, I’m an apostle of Jesus. Jesus has a message for me to deliver. He has a job for me to do.

When you write your bio, what accomplishments and titles will you choose? Or will you decide to start as Paul did? No matter where you are or what stage of life you are in, God has a job for you to do.

“See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him,” (I John 3:1, ESV)

*picture courtesy of pixabay.com