I recently heard a story about a bear that pillaged a small community in our local California mountains. It was late Fall and the bear was preparing for the quickly approaching winter. He was looking for food and, in his efforts, turned over trash cans, scared local pets, and caused mild panic in a traditionally quiet town.

I was curious about the bear’s behavior so I scanned a local wildlife site to understand what was happening. Evidently, in preparation for winter, bears eat. And I’m not talking about a few extra fish or the occasional tossed-out bag of stale cookies. No, I’m talking nearly double their body weight. The extra bulk helps to insulate their bodies from winter’s cold. So, this pesky bear was doing what was natural, looking for food, preparing for what was to come, insulating himself against life’s cold assaults.

There was a time in my life when I turned into a “Ms. Grizzly”. In my mind, I had failed to become a “successful” woman. Failed to reflect the attitudes and accomplishments the world tells us are important – college degrees by your late 20s, a family in your 30s, a 6-figure job by 40ish, all while volunteering and baking cookies for the PTA. So, in an attempt to fit in, I abandoned the playful creative child that lived inside me. I had already failed miserably at most of the accomplishments list, so I continued to insulate myself from the condemning chatter by taking on a more rigid persona. But a funny thing happened as I tried to adjust to the new me. The noise didn’t stop. The expectations for my performance and appearance just kept mounting until like that bear, I was swallowed up by my instinct to protect my image. I no longer recognized myself. The real me was lost.

My research on bear behavior revealed an interesting phenomenon. Bears slowly emerge from their dens as the weather warms and the sun becomes brighter. In some mysterious way, their bodies sense the shift in the season and they know it’s time to end their slumber. And when they emerge all the extra weight they accumulated is gone. They used it during those dark days to sustain themselves.

After years of allowing myself to be shaped by the messages that surrounded me, I sensed a need to wake up. I had traveled through some of my darkest days when I came face to face with the reality that my survival tactics weren’t working. I recognized it was time to stop caring more about what others thought and get busy embracing the woman God had created me to be. I needed to focus on the One Truth that could offer nourishment for my dying soul, Jesus.

I like the way Paul, the writer of the book of Ephesians, explains it. He writes,

“Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes. God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure.”

Ephesians 1:4-5 

I believe it would change our perspectives, our behaviors, and even our attitudes and beliefs if we truly believed those words from Paul because,

God loves us.

He has chosen us.

We are holy and without fault in his eyes. 

We are his adopted children.

As a starving Ms. Grizzly, I fed off the world’s distortions and the lies I told myself. But then I met Jesus and everything changed. I woke up and realized I was feeding on things that only led to spiritual hunger and fear. I slowly recognized all I needed to do was accept that I am a daughter of the King. I am chosen, blameless, and perfect in my Father’s eyes. And today, and for the remainder of my life, that is enough for me.

What about you?

Be Blessed his BeLOVED,