"The version of me before this season was the real me; now I'm just a diminished copy."
How it sounds in your head: I used to be vibrant, ambitious, creative. I used to have dreams beyond laundry and carpools. I've lost myself in these roles. The woman I was in my twenties wouldn't recognize who I've become. I'm less than I was.
"The glory of this latter temple shall be greater than the former, says the Lord of hosts. And in this place I will give peace, says the Lord of hosts."
-- Haggai 2:9World system that defines identity by productivity, appearance, and independence rather than union with Christ.
You look at old photos and see someone with spark in her eyes. Your passions feel buried under responsibility. Friends from your past remember a version of you that feels unreachable now. Your current life looks nothing like what you imagined.
Naomi lost everything—husband, sons, security, homeland. She returned empty and bitter, saying 'Call me Mara, for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me.' Yet God gave her back MORE than she lost—a daughter-in-law better than seven sons and a grandson in the Messianic line. Her latter glory exceeded her former.
I REFUSE the lie that I'm a diminished version of who I was. IT IS WRITTEN that the glory of my LATTER house is GREATER than my former. I am being transformed from glory TO glory, not from glory to less. IT IS WRITTEN in Ephesians 3:20 that God does exceedingly abundantly beyond what I ask or imagine. My best self is not behind me—she's emerging NOW. I am not less—I am MORE: more grounded, more whole, more aligned with who I was created to be. The blessing of Abraham includes fullness in every season. I am VIBRANT, ALIVE, and RADIANT with His glory NOW.
The Father doesn't look at you with nostalgia for who you used to be. He looks at you NOW with delight, celebrating the depth and richness that this season has added to you. He's not waiting for you to 'get back' to anything—He's revealing MORE of you every day.