Rise Up by Returning to the Source
Hey, it's Ronai!
I've been spending a lot of time lately thinking about what it means to truly rise. We hear that word a lot.
Rise up.
Step into your calling.
Be confident.
Find your purpose.
Become the woman God created you to be.
I love all of those things.
But sometimes I wonder if, in our effort to rise, we've accidentally made it one more thing we have to accomplish.
Try harder.
Be better.
Do more.
Become more like her.
And before we know it, we're striving again.
What if truly rising isn't about becoming more?
What if it's about going back to the Source?
Comparison is sneaky. Sometimes it sounds like jealousy, but often it sounds much more innocent.
"She's so good at that."
"I wish I could speak like her."
"She's so organized."
"She knows so much more than I do."
And suddenly, instead of paying attention to how God designed us, we're studying how He designed someone else.
I've been thinking about this a lot as I prepare for an upcoming women's workshop called No Longer Hiding: Silencing the Imposter Voice by Embracing Christ in You.
Because I know that voice. I've heard it myself.
Who am I to do this?
Who am I to teach this?
Someone else could do it better.
And while I was praying through those very thoughts, God gave me a truth I haven't been able to shake:
"I am in you, so you cannot be an imposter."
It brought such clarity.
I realized the imposter wasn't my identity.
The imposter was the lie I'd been believing about my identity.
Go Back to the Source
Colossians 1:27 gives us this incredible truth:
"Christ in you, the hope of glory."
Christ. In. You.
Our confidence was never supposed to come from convincing ourselves that we're amazing. It comes from remembering who He is and who we are because we belong to Him.
That's why I believe one of the most powerful things we can do when we're questioning ourselves is go back to the Source.
Before the comparison.
Before someone told you that you were too much or not enough.
Before you decided you needed to look, lead, speak, serve, parent, work, or worship like somebody else.
Go back to your Creator.
You Were Designed on Purpose
Ephesians 2:10 tells us that we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works that He prepared in advance for us to do.
I LOVE that.
God didn't mass-produce us.
He didn't accidentally give you your personality and then realize later that He should have made you more like your sister, your friend, your pastor, your coworker, or that woman you follow on social media.
He designed you.
This is one of the reasons I am so passionate about helping people understand their strengths.
Your strengths aren't your identity.
Christ is.
But your strengths can reveal something beautiful about the intentionality of your Designer.
Maybe you naturally see possibilities others miss.
Maybe you're the person who asks the questions no one else thinks to ask.
Maybe you create order out of chaos.
Maybe you bring joy into a room.
Those things matter.
They're not something you created.
They're something you've been entrusted to steward.
And I believe faithfully unleashing your strengths begins when you stop wishing God had given you somebody else's.
It's Time to Rise Differently
Rising doesn't have to mean becoming louder.
Or more impressive.
Or more accomplished.
Rising begins with surrender.
Going back to the Source.
Remembering who you are.
Remembering Whose you are.
Recognizing the beautiful, intentional ways God created you.
And then asking: "Lord, how do You want to live through me today?"
That's what it means to me to Faithfully Unleash Your Strengths.
Not striving.
Not proving.
Not comparing.
Not hiding.
It's understanding who God created you to be, embracing Christ in you, and allowing your identity, voice, and actions to align with His purpose for your life.
So today, if you've been questioning whether you're enough, maybe that's the wrong question.
Go back to the Source.
Because your hope has never been in becoming enough.
Your hope is Christ in you.
And I believe that's exactly where it's time to rise.
