At the fundraising and ministry partnership training I went to, we heard this 17 min. sermon on our identity as God's beloved children by Henri Nouwen. Then one of my church Small Group members shared it. So I thought I'd post it for y'all!
How often do we forsake our identity as beloved children, because we desperately seek our identity in what people say, what we accomplish, what we accumulate? I struggle through this in fundraising, leading my church Small Group and students in InterVarsity, loving Kyle well, and how sometimes I just want to escape into movies and TV. Can I let God change my mind and heart, to know my identity doesn't come from others' approval or rejection, hard work or laziness, a 100% raised budget or no money, awesome ministry stories or stories of failure? Instead of twisting into sorrow or bitterness, can rejection and failure point me to God's first love?
I recently heard this 20 min. TED talk by Brené Brown connecting vulnerability, shame, and wholeheartedness. Shame, the fear that something's wrong with us and we're not worth loving. We numb vulnerability, because it's a two-edged sword - it can lead to shame when we're rejected, but it can also lead to wholehearted lives, full of courage, compassion, connection, and joy. She gives signs of numbing vulnerability and ideas to embrace vulnerability and live wholeheartedly.
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