You are That Girl

Here is a story.
It's about a girl in a gym.
It's about the girl in the gym who stands at the back of the room.
Thinking she is unnoticeable there.
Thinking she has a quick escape out the back door if needed.
Thinking she has no confidence to be seen and heard.
Hiding.
It could be fear paralyzing her at the rear.
It could be shame that holds her there.
It could be unworthiness.

Whatever it is, she takes her stand behind everyone else.

There are some things she knew ... but didn't know.

She knew these things in her head.
Such as, "You are okay."
"You are valuable."
"You are beautiful."
"You are worthy."
"You are strong."
"You are loved."
She had heard them all before.
But she didn't truly know in the deep places of her heart where faith and belief reside.

So she hid.
The lies trumped the truths till she couldn't hear them anymore.
And she stood at the back.
Unseen.

But in the back of the room, this girl was brought to a place where it was okay to be bold.
To stand in the back; to stand in the front; to stand off to the side.
Each place takes a certain amount of boldness.
Each place has a purpose where growth and change occur.
She just didn't know it at the time.

So she explored bold.
The ability be a little risky.
To be confident and have some courage.
To try new things, scary things, daring things.
To be brave.
To be in that place where just she and God stand together, where the actions and attitudes of other people don't matter. Where, if it takes being alone and invisible in the back corner of the gym for her to know, to truly know, that God has not abandoned her, then it is okay. She is okay.

Lights still shine in the back of the room, however dim the back corner is. 

Sometimes in our moments of hiding, God is the only one who can find us. He still sees us. He still seeks us.
And He breathes boldness into our souls.
And He reminds us what it is to be bold.
To speak and believe bold words about ourselves, His words about us:

~ worthy~ valuable~ cherished~ wanted~ beautiful~ transformed~ beloved ~

Sometimes being bold means to acknowledge our need for Him. Even when we don't understand. Sometimes being bold means living in our true identities, the ones that go back to who we were created to be as God's beloved. Sometimes being bold means living in freedom. Sometimes being bold means being renewed and transformed. Being bold means letting go of who society says we are or should be; it means abandoning the world's way of looking at life.
It means embracing God's words that are spoken over us.

So we can boldly ask Him, "Who do you say I am?"
And He will put His arm around our shoulders and say, "Do you really want to know?" Then He smiles and reassures ~
"You are that girl in the back of the gym. The one I saw. The one I met and hugged. The one I spoke joy into. You are that girl in the back corner. The one I call Daughter. The one I love. The one who lives in hope. The one who will stand up and radiate with brilliant light. You are that girl, hiding in the shadows. The one who will come to understand the depth of my love and what I would do for her to bring her to that place of redeeming and healing. You are that girl, image of my heart. You are mine. You are known."

You are that girl.