But seriously, a lot of women get there. Of course, we serve our families so much, we forget who we are. Hiding and pretending can become our identity. But how can we foster confidence in our kids, if we’re struggling with our own identity?
Robin Melvin knows something about doing all the right things and still feeling at a loss about her purpose in life.
“Well, it is, I believe, a normal thing that we someday realize we have been married with children maybe and we have just done so much and poured so much into our families,” says Robin. “We wake up and think, Who am I?”
At left, Robin talks true identity and the serious confidence we gain when we trust God's design.
Identity and Divine Design
Unfortunately, we’re living in a time when many people feel displaced. So many folks question their identity to the very core of their being, even to the point of changing genders. It breaks my heart!
Maybe you know just what I mean because your family is struggling with identity issues.
People seem to have no idea about God’s divine design for them, for their bodies, their emotions, for their mind, their life, and their purpose.
I thought it was time to get an expert on the show to talk about true identity.
In this episode, author Robin Melvin shares a whole lot more about how to flip the script on negative self-talk to foster confidence in ourselves and others. You will love the things Robin shares, along with her beautiful heart. Find more Fireside Talk Radio FREE podcasts.Fostering Confident Hearts
Married to her husband Jeff, for nearly four decades, Robin spent their early marriage as a military wife as he served in the army. When she got to be about fifty their last child graduated from high school. Like most women, she was excited about reimagining the next phase of life.
“I was really excited, but I couldn’t, literally could not, make a decision,” she reports. “I was really bound up by it (her confusion). In a negative way. ”
Fortunately for Robin, she had a dear friend who was also a clinical psychologist. Don’t you love how God often uses our friends at just the perfect moment!
“And so she started just asking me questions about my history. We realized there were other reasons besides just the normal approach to midlife where we find ourselves in a transition,” she says.
Most women have something to unpack; pain and grief, sexual assault, abortion, addictions, or the mental health of a parent, a spouse, or ourself, just to name a few.
We carry our baggage around for a long time, then the moment comes when we either unpack it or curl up and die. More resources for fostering confidence: Chris Legg, Lindsey Bell, Tamara Clymer, Deb Butterfield.
Backgrounds that Swamp Our Identity
I loved the way Robin succinctly told of her childhood, explaining a phenomenon many people experience in families where trauma has taken its toll.
Find the full article. I hope you check it out!
🙂
Cathy
May we pray together?
Dear good Father, You are the BEST! We love You so much. Even when we reject ourselves, You keep right on loving us. How could we possibly resist the beauty of Your Spirit who keeps calling each one of us by name! Thank You for making each of us the way You did, with exquisite love and detailed forethought. Fearfully and wonderfully did You make each one of us and we are Yours. We praise You. Teach us to love ourselves and trust You in Your goodness. Help us love others the same way, even when it’s hard to love. Bless us now because that is Your heart’s desire. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
We LOVE to hear from YOU!
What baggage kept you from moving forward? How did you unload the guilt and shame and take on truth? Which verses speak to you today?
Me and My Forgetfulness!
Okay, so in today’s podcast, I mentioned that I keep writing endorsements for Robin’s book accidentally. Nobody pays me to endorse, I just like passing on good stuff to people I love.
Of course, friends know I tend to forget things, so I thought you might enjoy the humor of my forgetfulness. But her book is seriously good. Here’s one of the many endorsements I wrote:
“Ever wondered if you’re good enough? Of course! Everybody has. Fortunately for us all, Robin Melvin can tell a story! In her new book, she puts to rest the nagging struggles all women face. And she does it like a real friend, a sister who gets life can be dang tough! Uncover Your Divine Design: Who did God create you to be? reminds us we were made for more.” ~Cathy Krafve, author, speaker, host of Fireside Talk Radio
I Refuse to Forget
We still have a prayer banner to remind us to pray for the families of those who died in the botched withdrawal from Afghanistan.
On another note, one thing I will not forget is the last 13 fallen American heroes in Afghanistan:
- Marine Corps Staff Sgt. Darin T. Hoover;
- Marine Corps Sgt. Johanny Rosario;
- Marine Corps Sgt. Nicole L. Gee;
- Marine Corps Cpl. Hunter Lopez;
- Marine Corps Cpl. Daegan W. Page;
- Marine Corps Cpl. Humberto A. Sanchez;
- Marine Corps Lance Cpl. David L. Espinoza;
- Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Jared M. Schmitz;
- Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Rylee J. McCollum;
- Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Dylan R. Merola;
- Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Kareem M. Nikoui;
- Navy Petty Officer Third Class Maxton W. Soviak; and
- Army Staff Sgt. Ryan C. Knauss.
It’s been a year and still no accountability for the debacle of the American retreat. Their story reminds us America must fight to hold onto the values that bought us freedom in the first place.
I’m amazed that so many friends have not heard what happened at Abbey Gate or why it happened. I chose a video by Jennifer Griffin, in case you missed the tragedy. I like Jennifer’s reporting because she is balanced in an old-school very professional kind of way.
Better Conversations
Find The Well or Marriage Conversations. Check out Fireside Talk Radio.
Finally, I keep our books easy to find because people tell us stories all the time of better conversations after reading these two books. Wow! That’s got to be a miracle!
Here’s help on having great conversations no matter the topic, The Well: The Art of Drawing Out Authentic Conversations. Jesus took one woman from isolated to influential in one conversation. Also, I go into the Biblical reasons Christian leaders should listen to women. Powerful! You don’t want to miss this!
Then, Marriage Conversations is about how to spark better conversations on any topic with your hubby and your whole family. Life-changing stuff.
❤️ ❤️ ❤️
Cathy Krafve, host of Fireside Talk Radio and author of The Well: The Art of Drawing Out Authentic Conversations and Marriage Conversation: From Coexisting to Cherished. Your stories, ideas, and questions welcomed here!
