who you are

Who you are
  is not defined by your good days
or your bad days
  your highs
or your lows

Who you are
  is not equal to your clothes size
or your chest size
  or your shoe size
or your pocket size

Who you are
  is not your age
or your youthfulness
  or your grey hairs
or your wrinkles

Who you are
  is not your thigh gap
or lack of
or your tightness
or your softness

Who you are
  is not your job
or your status
  your success
or your failure

Who you are
  is not how much money you make
or how much you owe
  or how much you have
or don't have

Who you are
  is not how funny you are
or how popular you are
  or how liked you are
or how able you are

Who are you?
If all these things are stripped away
What is left?
What we define ourselves with
changes from day to day
depending on whether we have it together
or we are falling apart
whether we wore the right clothes
said the right thing
did the job well

But this keeps us in performance mode
Meanwhile our true self wonders
Would they like me if they knew the real me?
Would they turn away if they knew my weaknesses?
If they saw me on my off days...
Would I still be ok?

Oh.Shame.
We hide behind the appearances
  and the performances
We pretend (and believe) we are ok
We are ok because we have it all together

But there is fear
When things might be exposed
When our stories might be learned
When the dark places come out
When we fail to hide the ugly places

There is good news
There is hope
There is another way to be defined

You are loved
You are God's beloved
When He looks at you
he does not see performance
or ability
or style
or age
or income
or success

He.sees.you.
YOU.
as you are
beloved you
His heart is full with love for you
He even dances when he thinks of you

And his love cannot be chased away
or lost
or removed
nothing.NOTHING.NOthing
can separate you from his love

To be loved
To be defined by love
is to be free
to be yourself
who you are
truly you
no shame
no pretending
no acting
just YOU
beloved
you

You do not have to do anything
to prove your worth
to earn this love
NO.
it's just there
love flowing
like a river
waiting for you to step in
and believe it's true
washing over you
stirring in you
cleansing you
baptizing you
blessing you
beloved
i am
 well pleased
 with you

can you hear his voice
can you hear the song
can you feel the embrace
can you receive this love
you do not have to change for love
love changes you

beloved
that is who you are
be.loved
You