Beloved Daughter
Hey, friends! I hope you’re doing well and enjoying your summer. I’ve missed being here with you, and I originally intended for this post to be a life update to catch you up on things. But as I started to write, my heart took things in a different direction. I’ll share a life update in a future post; but for now, here’s what’s been on my heart 🤎
A big part of the reason I haven’t posted in a while is because I’m still settling into motherhood and learning to balance my new responsibilities with other aspects of my life, especially the things that fuel my heart – like this blog! But no matter how much time I spend away from my blog, I always find myself back here – which is symbolic of this current season of my life: rediscovering who I am independent of my obligation to others.
I’m actually writing this post alongside my dear friend, who is also navigating the early stages of motherhood. We booked a staycation here in Charlotte to refill our cups and invest in our friendship. We also set aside time to focus on the assignments God has given us as well as our personal goals and dreams. I’ll plan to share more about our weekend together in a separate post, but it has been fulfilling in so many ways!
As I find myself in this process of rediscovering who I am, God also has me on a journey of healing and reclaiming my identity as His beloved daughter. Throughout my childhood and teenage years, I experienced rejection in various forms and relationships, including family. These experiences created deep emotional wounds that I’ve carried into adulthood and have been actively working to heal through therapy. I’ve made significant progress over the years, but recent hurt and disappointment in relationships have exposed lingering rejection wounds and revealed areas of my heart that God is still healing.
As I was processing through feelings of disappointment and sadness in my last therapy session, my therapist asked me a series of questions: “Why does this make you sad?” Why do you expect [xyz from said people]? Why do you care if you don’t get [xyz from them]?” I answered these questions one by one, and then she asked me, “What do you believe about God?” This question seemed irrelevant at first; but oftentimes, our perception of God – whether good or bad – is shaped by our human relationships. I paused to reflect then responded, “While I don’t actually believe this, I have been reacting in ways that indicate God’s love for me isn’t sufficient." Although this was hard to admit, saying it out loud helped me realize that there is still a gap between my knowledge of God's love for me and my internalized belief in His love for me.
A few days after my therapy session, Lisa Harper shared a message at my church called “You’re Worth It.” In this message she talked about how our worth in Jesus was established before we ever had a chance to earn it, meaning His love for us was predetermined and is independent of our actions. Throughout the message, Lisa affirmed my identity as God’s chosen and beloved daughter; and at the end of the sermon, she said a prayer for those of us who were having a hard time fully believing and accepting God’s love. At that moment, my eyes began to fill with tears because I felt so seen. This moment was also a clear sign of God's love for me: He sent a guest speaker to share a message that spoke directly to what I had been wrestling with in therapy that week.
Since my therapy session and hearing this sermon, I’ve been reading passages of scripture that affirm my identity as God’s chosen, fully accepted, and beloved daughter. As I read through each scripture, I also write general observations followed by an associated truth to help me internalize the scriptures. For example, I recently studied and meditated on Ephesians 3, and here’s how I processed verses 17-19.
“Then Christ will make His home in your hearts as you trust in Him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong. And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how deep His love is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God.” Ephesians 3:17-19
Excerpt from my journal 7/2/26
After I do this, I recite the truths out loud and pray God’s word over my heart, because there is power in prayer and the words we speak (Proverbs 18:21). One of my greatest prayers in this season is that God would enable me to understand the vastness of His love for me until it matures into an internalized belief. This exercise has been so helpful to me even in just a few short weeks. I have found that the more I mediate on God’s word, I become less hypersensitive to others and more confident in who I am as a child of God.
In addition to meditating on God’s word, I’ve curated a playlist called Beloved Daughter with songs that affirm who I am in Christ and His love for me. I also included songs that declare who God is to help strengthen my faith in Him. Below are a few of my favorites in case you’d like to listen or add them to your playlist!
Jireh (Elevation Worship & Maverick City Music feat. Chandler Moore & Naomi Raine)
Abba I Know (Elevation Rhythm, Tiffany Hudson & Abbie Gamboa)
Who You Really Are (Elevation Worship feat. Chandler Moore & Tiffany Hudson)
Reckless Love (Bethel Music & Steffany Gretzinger)
What a Miracle (Elevation Worship feat. Chris Brown)
I am so grateful for this journey that God has me on, and I look forward to fully becoming the version of me who not only knows but believes in her heart that she is fully loved, chosen, and accepted by God 🤎
How about you – what’s been on your heart lately? I’d love to hear from you! Feel free to leave me a comment below or send me a private message.
With love,
Imanne