Breaking Free From Labels & Finding Identity in Christნიმუში

Key Verse 1: “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart.” Jeremiah 1:5 (NIV)

Key Verse 2: “For we are God’s masterpiece…” Ephesians 2:10 (NLT)

In the midst of my kids’ dad's struggle with addiction, Jesus became my best friend. But that didn’t happen instantly. Instead, it came after years of trying to find love and security in people who couldn’t give it. I had always known about Jesus, but this was different. I was desperate for a love that wouldn’t leave when things got hard, a presence that wouldn’t disappear when life felt too heavy.

So I started doing things differently. I began inviting Him into everything — my mornings, my tears, my runs, my doubts. I talked to Him like I would a friend sitting next to me in the car. I read His Word not just to check a box, but to listen for His voice. And when I felt alone, I chose worship instead of worry. Slowly, His voice became clearer. His presence became familiar. His peace became my safe place.

That was the turning point. I realized that this was the unconditional love I had longed for through my mother’s and then my ex-husband’s addiction. I found it that right in Jesus — the One who never left, never changed His mind about me, and never asked me to perform to be loved.

David knew this kind of friendship with God too. When Samuel came to anoint a new king, David wasn’t even invited to the gathering (1 Samuel 16). He felt overlooked and forgotten, and was left in the fields with the sheep. But while everyone else saw a shepherd boy, God saw a king. And it was out there in the quiet fields that David built his relationship with the Lord. He talked to God, worshiped Him, trusted Him — and that intimacy became the foundation for everything else he would face.

That’s what I wanted, and what I’ve found. A friendship like David’s. A faith that’s rooted not in what others see, but in who God says I am. The more time I spent with Jesus, the more I recognized His voice guiding me, correcting me, and comforting me. The labels that once defined me — unworthy, unlovable, forgotten — started to lose their grip.

Now, when I look back, I can see that before the pain, before the heartbreak, before the labels, I was chosen. And so are you.

You are not what others have called you. You are not your mistakes. You are not the broken story you’ve lived through. You are a child of God — seen, loved, and set apart for something beautiful.

It’s time to rip up the labels and replace them with truth: You are loved. You are worthy. You are chosen.

Reflection Questions:

• What truth is God speaking over you today?
• What label will you leave behind and what truth will you cling to instead?
• What can you do differently this week to make time with Jesus a priority, like David did?

Prayer: Father, I thank You for choosing me. Help me to walk in the truth of who You say I am. Draw me closer to You until our friendship becomes my foundation. Teach me to hear Your voice and follow it faithfully. Replace every lie with Your Word and Your love. Amen.

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If you want to find a community of others like you, Hope is Alive Ministries offers that through Finding Hope, a nationwide network of loved ones of addicts. We have groups all over the country as well as online; to find one for you, visit FindingHope.today.