Now With Natalie: Identity Sample

An Upward Trajectory

Everybody has a past. It’s a reality common to the human experience. Years of circumstances and choices lead to outcomes. 

We can either move forward and grow, or we can shrink back in shame. And, though we’re all raised under a different set of conditions due to our family of origin, in the end, the responsibility to fulfill our God-given purpose — to grow — is ours and ours alone. 

Confronting that reality and taking responsibility for our actions isn’t easy, however. It can be difficult, especially when there’s abuse and setbacks due to no fault of our own. But I believe that within this tension, God wants to give you hope today.

“I’ll show up and take care of you as I promised and bring you back home. I know what I’m doing. I have it all planned out — plans to take care of you, not abandon you, plans to give you the future you hope for. When you call on me, when you come and pray to me, I’ll listen” (Jeremiah 29:11–12, MSG).

Let those words take root in the soil of your heart today. From this day forward, your life can move in an upward trajectory. Not because it will be without pain or trial; those come with living in a fallen world. But you can grow and walk in your purpose because He who is with you and within you is greater.

Personal Reflection

Ask yourself, is there something in my life that I’ve been trying to handle in my own strength? What do I need to take responsibility for, and what do I need to release to God today?