Identity and Consideration

        Our identity should be in Christ.  Not in being a mother, not in being a wife, and not in... being anything other than a Christ-follower!  In the past, I have gone a step worse than leaning on my own understanding and not trusting God.  The step further I have gone is "leaning on what I think is other people's understanding of me," which is crazy, I know!  Both head knowledge and experience knowledge: I know it's crazy!

         I was a part of a homeschooling group.  That was when I was a child.  I home-schooled.  The group joined was not my choice.  I have met folks who've been part of the group.  I did not like the group.  There were cult-tendencies there.  Since I left the group and got married, I still know people who have been in the group.  Here's how "leaning on what I think is other people's understanding of me" relates to this.  What I think is their understanding of me is that I like the homeschooling group.  After all, I met many people in the group through a post-high school trade school related to the cultish homeschooling group.  That was before I forsook the group and before I got married.  If I lean on what I think is other people's understanding of me, I am in huge trouble!  One, I should trust God in how He sees me, not my own understanding of someone else's understanding of me and not in my own understanding of myself.  My identity is in Christ.  It is not in who I think I am and it is not in who I think other people think I am.

        Here's how a wife is to be considerate of her husband, however.  My mom told me before I got married, before I ever began looking for a spouse: "Maybe you can serve the Lord better married."  My identity is in being a Christ-follower.  I am a Christian above being a wife.  As a Christian wife, I serve as a wife as a Christian would.