June is my favorite month out of the whole year for two reasons. Reason number one; it’s the month I married my best friend and gave him my whole heart for the rest of my life. Reason number two; It’s Peony season… and yes, my wedding bouquet absolutely mirrored my obsession with this flower!

Did you know that Peonies represent good fortune and prosperity in marriage? Sis neither did I!  Until after I got married and posted my wedding photos on Facebook, where someone pointed it out to me… who would’ve thought?! Aside from that random, fun fact, Peonies also symbolize beauty and fragility, and that great reward only comes from taking great, giant, and uncomfortable risks. 

We have a blush pink Peony (my absolute favorite combo) bush in our backyard, and every May I become heavy with anticipated joy as I watch its stems grow higher and its buds grow bigger. As much as I want that beautiful flower to bloom on my timing, it has its own agenda, operating within its specific design. 

Have you ever thought about how flowers know when to bloom? They don’t wait to be told when… they just do. Just like my blush pink Peony bush in June, they come to life in the light and warmth of spring and sky showers because that’s their very nature. They respond to the call of their Creator and display His glory by doing exactly what they were created to do… reach, grow, bloom. 

Just as the Peony’s roots faithfully reach down deep into the dark soil – anticipating growth –  Jesus calls us to reach. 

But there is a risk found in the reaching. 

Jesus calls us to risk the comfort we find from hiding behind our walls and masks, and asks us to respond to the call…the call to reach for Him. It’s in those still, quiet moments of growth that our roots reach profoundly for the heart of the Father and learn to withstand the storms because they’re wrapped in faithfulness and broken surrender. It’s this hardship of reaching that brings forth the most beautiful blooms. It’s where we begin to operate within the identity He has so freely given us…

His. 

It’s from this given identity – an identity blooming from the ashes of messy, imperfect surrender – that we are able to reach for love in places where bitterness, pain, and anger have deceived and destroyed, and instead, sow seeds of gentle, healing peace. 

It’s an identity placed in Him that brings forth life and puts to death the lies of the enemy that tell us we are unwanted and unworthy. It’s where perfection is crucified with Him, our Savior, on Calvary’s Cross and where broken beauty is given space to thrive and flourish because of His sacrifice. 

This identity, this freely given, laced with love and radically wild kind of identity, says that you are more than enough because you are His. 

Any other name placed on you aside from His falls flat at His feet and holds no power because your King sits on His Throne and beckons you into His loving arms. The rest of the world fades into the background when your feet move toward Jesus to accept the gift of His sweet freedom. In that place of sweet, unchanging grace, the only thing you risk is letting go of regret, pain, heartache, and the craving to compare yourself to others, in exchange for the One who adores you.

When we respond to the call of our Heavenly Father to walk this life wrapped in His love, we are operating in our original design. We are taking back the curse that laid barren the Garden of Eden and we are reaching for a new life. A new life that can only be lived well if we submit ourselves at the feet of Jesus and accept His will over our lives; His pleasing and perfect, love-laced, and grace-filled will. 

And as we reach for Him, our roots grow deeper without warning or notice because nothing else matters except the light of His presence over our lives. Just like that blush pink Peony bush, we begin to operate within our specific design and are able to throw off the screaming distractions of this world. It’s here we realize that it’s not about an impeccable track record, or how fast we get to where we think we should be. It’s solely about a moment by moment relationship with our Creator. It’s about allowing Him to arm us with His name as we throw it back into the world.

And as we reach for the Father and our roots grow strong, formed by His love and refined by His grace, we bloom. 

We bloom His image into the world. The vibrancy of His heart is reflected in the light of our eyes and the kindness of our words. The way we walk begins to look different because our eyes are always up, locked with our Maker’s, as our feet are guided by His lantern of love. And as we bloom, His smile grows wide, full of a Father’s unconditional admiration and acceptance, and He whispers for all of Heaven and Earth to hear, 

”She is mine; that Child that I formed and made beautifully and perfectly in my sight to display my splendor… that one… yes, she belongs to me and I am so very pleased.”

The opinions of people fall away, as we come forth, magnificent and clothed in righteousness because now we understand that the point was never about pleasing man… but worshipping He who made man. It’s a relationship with the Maker that becomes the compass of our hearts as we begin to trust His voice and gentle soul whisperings.

It is right in the middle of this wonderfully designed identity that purpose and calling are found and true freedom sits. It’s where the bravery to step out of the boat of safety is given and it’s where true destiny awaits. 

You are His. This is your impenetrable and unshakeable identity. 

For the next several weeks I’m going to be rolling out a series on… yep, you guessed it… identity. Because if you don’t know who you are and struggle to understand the unconditionally radical love your Heavenly Father has for you, you will wander through life trying to fill yourself with anything and everything, which will only leave you feeling empty and alone. I say this because I know from personal experience, Sis! And if you haven’t guessed it by now, your ability to walk confidently in your Father’s love – fully grasping your worth as Royalty in the King’s Heavenly Courts – is something that I am so very passionate about! 

The heart of the Father aches for you to know Him intimately, to run to Him with all that you are, everything you’ve done and all that you dream to do. 

Together, over the next several weeks, we are going to unpack how to root our identities and know who we are at the feet of Jesus so we can walk this life confidently loved by our Creator, who adores us and fiercely pursues each of us every single moment of every single day. 

So, Sister, join me next week with a coffee or tea in hand as we kick off this blog series, ‘His’, by taking a look at what an intimate relationship with the Creator looks like and why it’s the very foundation of an identity rooted at His feet. 

I am incredibly excited to jump into this with you as we grow together as Sisters in Jesus and learn to walk with His love wrapped tightly around us. I pray you have a wonderful weekend, and remember – your Maker holds you always and loves you endlessly. 

But now, this is what the Lord says –  He who created you, Jacob, He who formed you, Israel: “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine.”

-Isaiah 43:1 NIV

Xoxo, 

Celia