Embracing Your True Self: Living in Your Christ-Centered Identity With Jennifer SlatteryNäide

You are sufficiently empowered.

I know from experience how hard it can be to love others well when battling illness, fatigue or pain. When I’m struggling, my patience thins, my smiles decrease, and my pain is prone to reach unmanageable proportions.

Alert to this, my anxiety spiked as I boarded a plane for Texas to help care for my mother-in-law during her intense battle against cancer. I wanted to be a source of encouragement and support, but fear of failure twisted my stomach.

To fight well, my mother-in-law needed to remain positive and focused. I suspected she’d find it difficult to receive help, especially if she sensed me struggling. As I prayed for supernatural strength to love like Jesus, the Lord brought 2 Peter 1:3 to mind. Through it, I sensed Him saying, “In Me, you have everything you need to live, and love as I desire.”

The same power that raised Christ from the dead resides within us, giving us sufficient strength for every challenge. When we feel weak, weary and overwhelmed, may we turn to the One who ignites our souls with His life-giving Spirit, trusting Him to fulfill His promise to give us all we need to thrive in this moment, and every moment that follows.

Journal prompts:

What all does Jesus empower you for? How can you more fully experience, and live from, this power? What might God be saying to you through today’s Bible reading? Ask Him to help you recognize and live from His power infused in your soul.