Several years ago, I thought I was pretty secure in my identity in God, but after our daughter, Becca, died, I discovered how little I knew about it, much less how to live securely from that place.
As Dave and I continue as missionaries in the dark field of grieving parents, I am very thankful God has been shedding so much light, making me more and more solid in my identity of being fully loved by Him than ever before.
One thing that God used to open my eyes to receive this needed revelation I thought I already had, is a good book. Actually, there were several!
If you’re in a season of feeling a little spiritually disoriented, looking to deepen your walk, or just want a good read, consider checking these out. There are tons of great titles out there, but these were really meaningful to me.
Book 1: He Loves Me! Learning to Live in the Father’s Affection
So many Christians believe God’s love is fickle: when they sin, He turns away in disgust and anger. They vacillate between “He loves me” and “He loves me not” because of their behavior. That reasoning, writes Wayne Jacobsen, is as flawed as pulling petals from a daisy. Rather God’s love is sturdy, enduring, and undisturbed by people’s failings because God loves humankind not for what they do–but who they are. They are God’s beloved creation.
The book opened my eyes to how I was still trying to earn God’s love when I didn’t realize that is what I was doing. He really does love me, unconditionally, just the way I am, and I am still learning how to live in a way that sets me free, knowing how fully I am loved.
One of my favorite quotes from this book is, “One can be a good Christian by embracing its doctrines, its rituals, and its ethics without ever knowing him. Jesus did not come to start a new religion, he came to break the power of them all by inviting us to follow him and live in the reality of his love for us. Just remember, life in Christ has more to do with following a person than it does following the rules.”
If you’d like to get it on Amazon, here’s the link.
Book 2: Conquering the Game of Control: Nurturing the Nature of God
All humans, by nature, are doomed to play an unwinnable game which looks remarkably like the harmless game of Rock/Paper/Scissors, but is, in reality, played out with the weapons of domination, manipulation, and intimidation.
Like the game of Rock/Paper/Scissors, there are no real winners; only victims who feel crushed, cut, or covered by the process—or ominously empowered by it. What is the solution? To quit playing the game altogether! God does not “play the game”. Through Him, humans can be transformed until the game of control gives way to a life of mutual submission—the dance of relationship rather than the dissonance of control.
This book has affected me in a way that few other books have. It opened my eyes to so many things that I needed to see about myself and relationships, and gave me the desire to release things I had been holding on to that were interfering in living out my true identity in Him.
One of my favorite quotes from this book was, “The great good news is that, in Jesus, we can expect a change that is so deep, so transforming, that we actually interact with people in a whole new way, with love and humility and truth – in authority, rather than the old ways of domination, intimidation, and manipulation – in control.”
If you’d like to get it on Amazon, here’s the link.
Book 3: Your Secret Name: Discovering Who God Created You to Be
Using the story of the biblical patriarch Jacob as a backdrop, author Kary Oberbrunner calls us to stop accepting the world’s labels and start wrestling with God to discover our true identity. Jacob spent years living out the meaning of his earthly name: “deceiver.” Caught up in pretending to be someone he wasn’t, he was unaware that God would build a nation through him, unaware that Jesus would be one of his descendants, unaware of the lands he would inherit. Then he heard God speak his true name and the future God had for him unfolded. In Your Secret Name, we are reminded that we’ll be unable to discern what God wants to build through us until we discover how God has seen us all along. Readers will find the courage to abandon what they know in order to become who they were born to be.
One of my favorite quotes from this book was, “Interesting how Jacob asked for a blessing and the angel responded by asking him his name. Perhaps within that exchange, we stumble upon a secret. Seems like many of us crave a blessing – we want God to bless us, our families, our jobs and our finances. Instead, God knows our only shot at a true blessing comes by uncovering our true identity.”
If you’d like to get it on Amazon, here’s the link.
What are some of your favorites? I’d love to hear them — especially if you’re in a season of learning who you are in Him and how deeply loved you are. Leave a comment below!
Thank you for your input on these books I am always looking for a good book to read. I do need a reminder of who I am in Christ. How much he does me for who I am.
You are very welcome!