Dominion Over Your Story

Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. Romans 12:2

“I HAVE SCARS from surgeries, stretch marks from carrying souls, muscles from strength training, and bruises from my battles. I am a beautiful, interesting human. I love my textured landscape; it’s not airbrushed or boring or predictable or perfect. My body is real. I am flawed and full of life. I am scarred and strong. I am a hand-crafted daughter of the Creator King.”

What if this were the story you told yourself each morning? Are you raising an eyebrow at me? Do you think you would be lying?

Think again. This is not a childish exercise, and these are not lies. You would be telling yourself truth. What if you saw your flaws, strength, and surrender as gifts and held them together, simultaneously, as precious gold?

What if you forsook all the negative, body-shaming thoughts you have and phrases you’ve heard—I look terrible in this outfit; she should not be wearing those pants—and took a quiet moment each morning to reimagine how you want to feel about your body? How you want other women to feel about theirs. Our internal narrative shapes our entire life, and we have the power to change that narrative.

Jesus told stories so we could remember them and pass them on to others. They are stories with twists and turns and failure and success. And like His stories, the stories we have running in our minds are vital; they actually mold our minds and hone our hearts. If we tell inspiring stories about who we are and who our sisters are, then we will act like those brave women—and we will better be able to help other women do the same. We will embrace the brokenness and redemption inside us through the Holy Spirit. We will own our glory, for His glory. Just like Adam, who was given the gift of dominion over the Garden by having the privilege of naming each animal, we can have dominion over our own narrative and thoughts by naming who we are. And whose we are.

Sister, let’s choose the real story, the beautiful landscape, and the adventurous setting. Let’s speak truths to ourselves and one another that give grace and encouragement. Let’s have dominion over our narrative and embrace whose we are. Having dominion over our story looks amazing on us.

GRACE REFLECTION: Choose a phrase to repeat in the mirror today. For example, My body is strong and full of life; God has a beautiful purpose for me, and I am like no other; I have battled hard fights and have come out victorious. Don’t be shy about telling yourself God’s truth.