The Shameless Identity of a Woman

"As a godly woman, I have struggled with the Wife of Noble Character [Proverbs 31]: How would I ever compare?

The beauty of my identity being in Christ is that I don’t compare and I don’t have to. I don’t have to compare myself to other women either. I am fearfully and wonderfully made! God has given me certain gifts and has called me to certain things. I do not need to read Proverbs 31 and beat myself up that I am not those things.

Because I am not bound in shame, others get to experience God’s glory through me. I can speak boldly and confidently to others about Jesus Christ. I can confess my sinful heart and repent in community. My husband is allowed to enjoy and delight in both in my sexuality and in my playfulness.

My redeemed identity is a woman who has been horribly sinned against and has horribly sinned but who was cleansed by the blood of my savior and made righteous by his death on the cross. I do not go to shame when I sin or remember details of my past. I do not believe for a moment I have the ability to condemn myself or that the enemy’s lies can condemn me. I do not believe that when I sin or chose not to worship that I am separated in any way from my Lord and Savior.

When I stand confidently in my identity in Christ, the overflow is an expression of my biblical femininity and personality. My confidence in Christ allows me to freely be who I was created to be."

-Gina Noriega, deacon at Mars Hill Church, west Seattle campus
You can read her entire article here