You Are a Kingdom Daughter
If I were to ask you the question, “Who are you?” what would you say? Or if I asked, “Whose are you?” how would you respond?
If someone asked me off the cuff who I am or what I do, my answer would most likely include things like: first and foremost, I’m a mom. Maybe I’d say I’m a podcaster, or a wife — I’ve been married for 20 years. Maybe I’d tell you I’m a Christian, a believer in Jesus and a follower of Him. Or maybe I’d say I’m a super busy homeschool teacher.
All of those things are true, and it’s so easy to get wrapped up in those external pieces of our identity — so easy to get lost in them to the point that we spiral, and it’s like we don’t even have a sense of purpose anymore. It’s kind of like being on a hamster wheel. Or think of the movie Groundhog Day — the main character, Phil Connors, gets trapped in a time loop, living the same day over and over. Especially as moms, it’s easy to get stuck in that same kind of mentality, where the same thing just keeps happening every single day, until you’re asking, “What day even is this?”
Motherhood can feel like the ultimate example of this. I remember in early motherhood, getting up in the middle of the night over and over — up with the babies, up to nurse them, up to change them. And as the kids get older and become teenagers, it turns into this endless looping cycle of cooking meals, cleaning the house, the dishes, the laundry, scrubbing the toilet, restocking the toilet paper — the same things, over and over, like a whirlwind.
And you get to a point where you’re thinking, “Who even am I, and what am I doing with my life?” You know these things matter. You know they’re important. But you feel almost lost in the midst of all of it.
Found in the Bathroom
I remember one time I was in exactly that headspace — feeling lost in the whirlwind of life and motherhood and busyness. I went into the bathroom to clean it, and while I was scrubbing the toilet, feeling sorry for myself, tears just started streaming down my face. I paused, brushed them away, and I heard this whisper in my heart. It was the Lord, and He said, “I see you, and I love you.”
I remember taking a deep breath and muttering out loud, “Lord, I don’t even want to be seen. What am I even doing? I just want to rest.” And He whispered back, “Rest in Me.” I moved from the toilet to the mirror and just looked at myself for a few minutes, tears still streaming down my face. And I heard Him speak to my heart again: “You are My daughter. You are My daughter. That is who you are.”
The same is true for you. Before you are a wife or a mom or a teacher or a cook or a nurse, or whatever your job or title is, or all the hats you wear — if Christ dwells in your heart, then first and foremost, you are a kingdom daughter, and you are so loved by the Good Father.
1 John 3:1 (CSB) says, “See what great love the Father has given us that we should be called God’s children — and we are!” How awesome is it that you have a heavenly Father who sees you in the midst of all your roles and all the things you’re doing, and He loves you — with such a deep, deep love.
Heavenly Father vs. Earthly Fathers
Maybe you had, or have, a wonderful earthly father — kind, giving, someone who led you in a path of righteousness and took care of you. Or maybe that hasn’t been your story. Maybe there’s abuse in your past. Maybe your dad wasn’t present. Maybe you don’t even know who your earthly father is, or maybe he was the kind of person you don’t want to associate with.
Our heavenly Father is kind. He is kind-hearted, and He is just — He stands for justice. He disciplines and corrects out of love. Sometimes an earthly father might be a “good dad” but won’t call his kids out or discipline them — and those kids grow into adulthood without self-control or motivation, because they were never corrected. A loving father, your heavenly Father, will discipline and correct you in a loving way.
Your heavenly Father loves you so deeply there aren’t even words to convey it. He sent His Son to die for you, in your place. He is protective. He comforts, and He is steady. Man will fall short on this earth regardless of whether your dad is or was a good dad — there’s no possible way an earthly father is steady 100 percent of the time. Your heavenly Father is rock solid and steady. That is who your Father is. And He thinks you’re pretty great — He created you, and He calls you a masterpiece.
Ephesians 2:10 (CSB) says, “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared ahead of time for us to do.”
Fully Known
Just like any good parent, your heavenly Father longs for a meaningful, intentional, deep relationship with you — because you are His daughter. Psalm 139:1-16 (CSB) illustrates this so beautifully:
“LORD, you have searched me and known me. You know when I sit down and when I stand up; you understand my thoughts from far away. You observe my travels and my rest; you are aware of all my ways. Before a word is on my tongue, you know all about it, LORD. You have encircled me; you have placed your hand on me. This wondrous knowledge is beyond me. It is lofty; I am unable to reach it. Where can I go to escape your spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to heaven, you’re there. If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there. If I fly on the wings of the dawn and settle down on the western horizon, even there your hand will lead me; your right hand will hold on to me. If I say, ‘Surely the darkness will hide me, and the light around me will be night,’ even the darkness is not dark to you. The night shines like the day; darkness and light are alike to you. For it was you who created my inward parts; you knit me together in my mother’s womb, and I will praise you because I have been remarkably and wondrously made. Your works are wondrous, and I know this very well. My bones were not hidden from you when I was made in secret, when I was formed in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw me when I was formless. All my days were written in your book and planned before a single one of them began.”
Isn’t that beautiful and meaningful and intimate? It speaks of the Father’s deep love for you, His daughter. I hope it wraps you in the love of the most wonderful Father that ever has been and ever could be.
Sometimes at night when I’m tucking in my youngest, he still lets me snuggle him at bedtime — so it ends up being him in the bed, then me sandwiched in the middle, then my husband beside me. It’s so cute, and I imagine that season is coming to an end soon as he grows up. But in that moment, sandwiched between my son and my husband, I get this beautiful picture of the Father and the Son, and the Holy Spirit all around, and I feel literally wrapped up in a bundle of love. It reminds me of the Good Father in that moment, and how wrapped up in love we are as His kingdom daughters.
I also love to picture myself sitting in God’s lap. I see Him as my Father, my Abba, my Daddy, and I love to close my eyes and picture Him huge and wonderful, with me curled up sitting in His lap like a little girl. That’s how I picture it — a beautiful, loving picture of a good Father and His daughter. And you can picture that too.
Romans 8:15-17 (CSB) says, “For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear. Instead, you received the spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, ‘Abba, Father.’ The Spirit himself testifies together with our spirit that we are God’s children, and if children, also heirs — heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, so that we may also be glorified with Him.”
He Sees You
When you’re feeling overwhelmed, on the hamster wheel, or in the spiral of life — like nothing you do matters, like you’re not seen or appreciated, as the same day plays out over and over in the role of mom and wife and everything else you do — take heart. God, your Father, sees every single thing going on in your life.
He sees you up at night with the baby. He sees you worshiping in church, in your car, dancing around your kitchen. He sees you restocking the toilet paper when no one else does. He sees you exhausted in the middle of the day, worrying over your finances. And He sees you in the beautiful, good, happy moments too — rejoicing over tiny everyday miracles. He is there. He is with you. He sees you through it all, and He loves you through it all — because before any of your other roles, you are His precious, beloved daughter.
A Prayer
Heavenly Father, thank You for speaking such encouragement to our hearts today. Father, we are seen, and we are so loved by You. You are the best Father we could ever ask for, and we thank You that we can come to You at any moment — that we can close our eyes and curl up in Your lap, wrapped up in Your love. Lord, You are so, so good. Bless the one listening today, Father, for she is truly Your kingdom daughter. We thank You, and we praise You, in Jesus’ name. Amen.
Let’s Stay Connected
Head over to my website at katiehedrick.com to further connect with me. While you’re there, download my free five-day devotional, Joyful Moments With Jesus — I think you’ll really enjoy it.
So head over right now to katiehedrick.com, download that devo, and until next time, keep stepping forward in wisdom. I’ll see you in the next one.