Identity — The Original Masterpiece

A gentle unpeeling: discovering the canvas God painted before the world began

For decades, I believed I was an introvert. I wore the label of “shy,” carrying social anxiety like an invisible cloak. It felt like part of my personality — something permanent. Yet one day, I heard a statement that stopped me in my tracks: “If you’re painfully shy, it would behove you to ask the Holy Spirit if that is an inner healing issue.”

So I asked.

Holy Spirit, in His gentleness, began to peel back the layers. He showed me that my shyness was not my identity at all, but the fruit of unresolved trauma — the weight of being a wounded burden bearer. My anxiety wasn’t who I was; it was a counterfeit brushstroke painted over the masterpiece God had designed.

📖 “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” — John 14:6 (NKJV)

As healing has unfolded, I’ve noticed something remarkable. Recently, people have even called me an extrovert! When I told Clive, he laughed and said, “No way!” because he’s only ever known the hidden, suppressed version of me. The truth is, the more healing comes, the more I remember who I really am.

This process has shown me how easily our strengths and values can become twisted by lies or pain. My compassion, creativity, courage, and love for people were once trapped in double-binds that left me paralysed. Yet through recognition, forgiveness, and repentance, God has been restoring me to His original design.

He always saw me as His radiant daughter, created to live boldly in faith, to love without fear, and to use creativity as a tool of healing. My core values — faith, love, compassion, family, service, courage, creativity— are not accidents of personality. They are brushstrokes from the Father’s hand, written into me before the foundations of the world.

Identity is not a label handed down by culture, family, or wounds. Identity is a masterpiece, hidden in Christ, waiting to be revealed. The lies may layer themselves thick, but the blood of Jesus washes over every false stroke. With His gentleness, He peels back what never belonged and restores the colours He chose from the beginning.

💡 Reflection:

• What labels have you carried that may not be part of God’s original design for you?🤔

• Where might your strengths and values have been twisted by wounds or lies?🤔

• Will you invite the Holy Spirit to peel away the false layers and restore the masterpiece?🤔

💛 Affirmation: I am not the labels others gave me. I am not the lies of my past. I am God’s original masterpiece, created in His image, restored through Christ, and filled with His Spirit of truth.

🌸 A Gentle Call to Action

If this reflection spoke to your heart, I invite you to take it deeper:

• Journal your thoughts and prayers as you process these truths.

• Explore my Devotional Collection for more writings that weave Scripture and creativity together.

• Visit my This is My Story page, where I share the deeper journey behind my art, writing, and ministry — a testimony of God’s restorative love in the broken places.

• Consider joining one of my Healing 💔heARTs💖 gatherings or paint parties, where we create, share, and heal together in God’s presence.

Your story matters. Your freedom matters. And most of all, you are deeply loved by the God who sets captives free.