The Names that Define Us: Damaged to Destined

For years, I carried names that were never meant to be mine:

Worthless. Disgusting. Damaged. Broken. Burden. Weak. Lonely. Failure. Disgrace.

Some were names I gave myself. Others were labels slapped on me by the world. But the loudest voice—the truest voice—was the one I struggled to hear:

Beloved. Chosen. Holy. Righteous. Anointed. Overcomer. Child. Friend.

Ephesians 1:4 tells us something radical, "Before the world even existed, God chose us." Not because we were perfect, but because He is. Not because we had it all together, but because Christ holds us together. This isn’t just a nice sentiment—it’s the foundation of our identity.

For the longest time, I couldn’t hear God’s voice over my own self-condemnation. The lies played on repeat, growing louder each day. And if I’m honest? I didn’t run back to God on my own. Like the Good Shepherd He is, He chased me. He forced me to face my sin, my shame, my brokenness and at my lowest, that’s where He found me.

This isn’t just a story of redemption. It’s a story of sanctification, of God relentlessly shaping me into who He already says I am. I wanted to make a name for myself outside my trauma, outside my failures. But no matter how hard I tried, I was never enough. Because here’s the truth: Only God makes us enough.

I remember the day God’s voice finally cut through the noise. I was a hollow shell, barely holding on, begging for heaven. Then, Lauren Daigle’s "You Say" came on.

"You say I am loved when I can’t feel a thing. You say I am strong when I think I am weak."

And for the first time, I heard Him. Not just in my head, but in my spirit.

I wish I could tell you the lies never return. But they do, sometimes as intrusive thoughts, sometimes through the world’s cruel echoes. The difference? Now, God’s truth speaks louder.

We are chosen, not because of our worthiness, but because of Christ’s sacrifice. We are holy, not by our own efforts, but by His grace. We are blameless, not because we never fail, but because He never fails us. The enemy will whisper. The world will label. Our feelings will betray us. But God’s Word stands firm. One day, His truth will be second nature. Until then? We fight to believe what He says about us.

You are chosen. You are holy. You are His.

"Even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him." Ephesians 1:4