Vertical Identity

I woke up with a puffy swollen lip this morning. I don’t mean “you can’t notice it” kind of puffy. I mean, walk in the door, the whole world will see it puffy. It’s so bad that normal people would go to the ER to figure out what’s wrong.

I am the ER. I don’t need to go anywhere to know that I need antibiotics. But I also have a day to live – with my swollen upper lip. Today is sadly not a day I can afford to skip out and wait for the swelling to go down.

Yikes.

I feel like I’m in grade school again and everyone is gonna laugh at me. I hate that feeling. I’m so embarrassed.

Maybe they’ll think it’s a collagen injection?!

How do I keep a vertical focus in a horizontally minded society? The loudest voice in my head this morning is screaming at me, telling me I am not making the cut. I am not pretty enough, I am not perfect enough, I don’t deserve to be seen in public. Put me in a dark room and leave me alone until I regain that skin depth beauty. It doesn’t matter what your issue is, I believe most women know what I’m talking about.

Yet there is another voice, a much softer voice, almost like a whisper, that reminds me who I really am. It reminds me that I am more than the clothes I wear, or the skin that covers me. It whispers that I am a child of the King, loved by God, forgiven, free. I hear the whisper that says that reminds me that God does not look on the appearance, that he sees not as man sees, that he really mainly cares about my heart (I Samuel 16:7).

And as I listen, the voice gets louder. I now hear him telling me that I am fearfully and wonderfully made (psalms 139:14), and that my outer nature is wasting away, but my inner nature is being renewed day by day (II Corinthians 4:16-18).

And suddenly I feel free.

Vertical identity means horizontal freedom.

This isn’t about hearing funny voices. This is the truth of God’s word. Embrace it and live your life out loud. Don’t keep your insecurities from hiding you in a hole. Get out and give God the glory for who He has called you to be.

Big lip or not, I’m going to lunch in a couple of hours and I can’t wait.

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