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Remember Who You Are

September 29, 2015

There were so many things I wanted to say in this big moment for my daughter. Shouldn’t I have a speech? Or a famous person’s quote? Or a highly engaging devotion all planned out?

She was heading to her first day of high school. And I knew she would soon face choices that carried more weight than ever before in her life. We make our choices and then our choices make us.

I swallowed hard and blinked back the tears. And suddenly I knew exactly what to say: “Remember who you are.”

This was the perfect statement. Not because it’s incredibly profound to the rest of the world. But it is to my kids. It’s our family motto.

We’ve spent years teaching our kids character lessons and highlighting people who model solid integrity. We’ve tied these lessons to be defining marks on what we want our name to stand for when people think of us.

But, we wanted a way to encapsulate all those lessons into one quick statement that could be said every time our kids head out into the world.

And, it had to be a statement that made sense to all of our kids, whether it was one of our teens heading out on a Friday night with friends, or a younger child going over to a friend’s house for an afternoon playdate.

So, we came up with the simple statement, “Remember who you are.” In other words, you are a child of the Almighty God. Live that truth today.

This is our family signature. This would be that quick reminder of the spiritual vision of our family.

All those life lessons …
– upholding purity in our thoughts and actions
– honoring God with the words we say and choose not to say
– keeping a good attitude whether we win or lose
– extending grace to others as God has extended grace to us

… boiled down into one easy-to-remember and easy-to-repeat statement: Remember who you are.

And this isn’t just a reminder to hold our family name in high regard. No, even more importantly, it’s a reminder to hold the fact that we are part of God’s family in high regard. Our name is worth something.

The Bible says in Proverbs 22:1, “A good name is more desirable than great riches.” Calling ourselves Christians is a huge responsibility. Christ’s name is part of our identity.

Yes, “Remember who you are,” was the perfect thing to say on this day of new beginnings, opportunities and choices.

Does all this mean we have kids who never mess up or let us down? Nope. It doesn’t even mean that I never mess up or let others down. It’s tough having a sold-out-to-Jesus soul stuck in a flesh-filled body.

It means we’ve defined what we’re shooting for, and hopefully we’re all in the process of getting closer and closer to hitting the mark.

I’m so excited to announce that today is the release day of my new children’s book, Win or Lose, I Love You! With this book, you’ll be equipped to help your child:

• Replace the selfish characteristics of competition with an understanding of how to treat others fairly.
• Overcome the tendency to display poor sportsmanship by using Biblical truths to develop a Christ-like attitude.
• Reject the labels of winning and losing and embrace that they are loved no matter how they perform.

Get it now for a special release day price of only $10.99! Purchase your copy here.

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16 Comments
  1. Stacey W.Moore

    Mrs. Terkeurst,
    Thank you so much because I get angry in a flash and I forget that a am a child of the most almighty King. I also have not been giving grace like I used to because my feelings are to hurt. Have a blessed day.

    Reply
  2. Chantale

    Thank you Lysa for your encouragement and leadership. These 4 words were exactly the reminder that my weary soul needed this morning. Praise God for his timing and faithfulness!

    Reply
  3. Debbie Hard

    Hi Lysa, THANK YOU so much for this post today. I LOVE the “Remember Who You Are” motto, and if you don’t mind, may just adopt this for the HARD FAMILY motto as well 🙂 My husband always interjects, What’s your last name? when the kids are about to quit or give up when the going gets TOUGH. This usually works quite well! I ordered your new book today, so thanks for the heads up and the discount 🙂 I also ordered the book on change. Looks like a winner too! My kiddos are 10, 11 and 13, but I think the messages in these will be appropriate no matter what the age! Thanks again for letting God use you in such a POWERFUL way to speak to mothers hearts when we really NEED it. I can FEEL God’s loving touch through your messages! May God continue to richly bless your ministry, your blog and your precious family!

    Reply
  4. Amber Paulsen

    Lysa, I’m so excited about this book! I’m excited to experience God through it! Praying it blesses many. You wouldn’t believe how much your book “It will be Okay” spoke to me. I was crying like a little kid when I read it as it was really speaking to me on the fear I was (and still kind of am) battling. May you be blessed as much as you have been a blessing to others, which is A LOT!

    Reply
  5. Paula

    Lysa,
    I love your books and the simplicity of how you explain things… I love this statement!! Remember who you are…. And the explanation of what it truly means!! Thank you!!

    Reply
  6. Amy

    Lysa, Thank you for sharing this. I text my daughters (20 & 17) everyday while they are in school a “Truth for the day” which is usually scripture or a word of encouragement. I love this saying and all that it holds for us if we truly live remembering who we are. Blessings to you and your family.
    Amy

    Reply
  7. Beth

    My husband always said something very similar to this when our kids went out the door…his words were “Remember who you are and whose you are!” Such a great reminder for them. Thanks for sharing your life to encourage others in theirs 🙂

    Reply
    • Melody

      Yes! My dad always sent me off with “remember whose you are”, too. I came to realise that remembering *whose* I am is intricately tied in with remembering *who* I am.

      Reply
  8. Jenni DeWitt

    How many of us have been hurt by a “mean Christian” at some point in our lives? If I had to guess, I’d say several. Being Christian is such a huge responsibility. We are literally representing Christ in the world, but we are all so darn prone to the human-ness of our condition! “Remember who you are.” What a great way for all of us to be more intentional about the face of Christ we show to the world.

    Reply
  9. Amber

    Hi Lysa,
    I have a friend with a very hurting, lost teenage girl. She feels rejected by her father. Is there one of your books or another book that you know of that I could get for her? Your ministry, books, and life has been such an encouragement to me and I appreciate all you do for us girls!

    Reply
  10. Elizabeth Carlo

    Thank You Lysa, what a wonderful teaching for all of us. God bless you.

    Reply
  11. Vanessa

    Hi Lysa,

    Did you all get this from the Lion King? 🙂 I love it.

    I don’t have kiddos yet, but I think this phrase is something I’ll incorporate into my life. The given behind this phrase is that we actually know who we are and that we represent Christ when we go out into the world.

    Reply
  12. Andi

    With devotion about cravings, I didn’t see any Bible verses and usually I do. What is one or two that used? THANKS FOR ALL U DO

    Reply
  13. Jennie Jackson

    Hey Lysa,

    Sitting down this evening to write a Chapel talk for the students at the Christian school where I teach when I “happened” upon this post about your daughter’s first day of high school. I’d already felt led to base my talk on your idea of The Best Yes and how “we make our choices and then our choices make us.” Wow- what a confirmation that my message would be right on target!

    Did I mention this was my first time ever on your page?! It could only be God’s timing.

    Thank you for reminding me about the simple but profound truth of remembering who I am… a child of God with some Best Yes decisions to make. I pray that I will be able to encourage and challenge the teenagers I love to do the same.

    Blessings,

    Jennie

    Reply
  14. Jenny Lee

    Lysa, thanks so much. I read this very thing in your book “Unglued” recently.. The next day at a volleyball tournament my 17 year old daughter had an awesome hit that got the the point. She rotated out and her coach yelled at her about something she hadn’t done right…she immediately deflated! After the game, which they won, she came over to me, I hugged her and whispered in her ear “know who you are! A child of God and an awesome volleyball player!” She perked right up! I was then able to share with a couple of my friends about that and how we are all children of God, holy and dearly loved. A couple of days later at another volleyball match, it was being covered by our local radio station and she played so well that after the game she received the “superstar of the game” award! I continue to remind her and others to “know who you are”! Thank you for your words!!

    Reply
  15. Anonymous

    I wish my emotions weren’t bad. I wish I wasn’t bad. When I remember who I am, that’s who I remember – a bad person who deserves to be alone.

    Reply
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