This morning as I was praying over my prayer list, I came upon the name of a young person with their name circled. I do this when the person has specific, difficult needs so I remember to bring the needs out in my prayer. As I was praying I asked God to not let their struggle determine their life journey. As I prayed this I couldn’t help but think how much of my own life had been determined by my own struggle.

Satan has very devious ways of making a struggle into an identity. When this happens we feel helpless to live life with the struggle staying in that category. We might as well give it full reign over our lives for this is the way we were created–this is the victim’s thinking. I know this. Even though I didn’t step into my struggle, I kept it a secret until it was eating me alive for I thought it was my identity. When I finally got help, it took several years to get the struggle back into a place of struggle so my identity was in Christ alone.

My struggle was a same sex one tied to my childhood abuse, but I now know that most if not all addictions can take the role of identity if we don’t face it and find Christ’s identity for ourselves. The journey is not easy, but the Light at the end of the road is always CHRIST JESUS and HE is worth all effort on our part!