One of my kids was recently tangled in some middle school drama. His phone battery had died, and he hadn’t texted his friend back — leaving them on read and unintentionally hurting their feelings.
“Oh, when I was a teenager, my phone died, and that happened to me once,” my husband chimed in.
“Really?” our son asked. “With which friend?”
My husband smiled.
“Mom. But she wasn’t Mom back then. Just Kayla.”
I laughed — then paused.
“I’m still Kayla,” I said.
The moment has stayed with me.
It’s so easy to lose ourselves. We take on names and roles and responsibilities. We become Mom or Auntie or Grandma or Bestie or Church Lady or Caregiver or Boss. These identities are meaningful parts of who we are, yes — but they aren’t the whole story.
Our truest identity is that we are beloved children of God.
Before we were anyone to anyone else, we were already known and loved by the One who made us.
In 1 John 3:1, we’re reminded of our truest identity: “See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!” (NIV)
God doesn’t forget that. God doesn’t forget you.
We have a God who moves toward us, even when we feel a little lost in who we are.
Scripture tells us that God is like a shepherd who leaves the ninety-nine sheep to go after the one that’s wandered away (Luke 15:4-7). Like a woman who turns her house upside down looking for a single lost coin (Luke 15:8-10). Like a father who runs to embrace his lost child (Luke 15:11-32).
Over and over again, God shows us: Nothing — not even our own wandering — can make us unfindable.
We often talk about losing ourselves in the seasons of motherhood, but the truth is, there are many moments in life when we feel disoriented. After a big move. After a job loss. After a diagnosis. After being let down, left out, or just trying to survive in a completely exhausting season.
When I was in middle school, my family moved from a mid-size town in Iowa to the Twin Cities. I begged my mom to take me to a trendy clothing store I’d heard about in a suburb called Eagan.
This was pre-GPS, and in her attempts to navigate the bustling metro area, my mom got a little (okay, a lot) lost. We ended up in the middle of nowhere at a dusty roadside stand called The Garden of Eagan.
“It looks like God’s been with us on this adventure all along,” she said, smiling.
We laughed. The name — playing off The Garden of Eden — made us chuckle. It felt like a nudge from the Holy Spirit. A reminder that we were never really lost, just… rerouted.
That unexpected detour stuck with me. And now, whenever I find myself on a literal or spiritual backroad, I remember: God is never confused about the route.
Even when I feel like I’ve lost myself or lost my way, I’ve never been far from God.
Our lives are an adventure. Yes, sometimes we’ll take wrong turns, make poor choices, or get knocked down by circumstances we didn’t choose. But when we pause in the middle of our messy days to pay attention to God’s presence, we begin to find our footing again. We remember who we really are — beloved children of God.
The more we reorient our days around sacred listening for the still, small voice of God in the comings and goings of our lives, the more we begin to remember what is true: That we are beloved. That we belong. That no matter where our adventure takes us, nothing could separate us from the love of God.
We don’t just remember who we are so we can feel better, we remember so we can live in the rhythms Jesus shows us. From a place of belovedness, we can extend grace. From a place of security, we can offer kindness. In other words, we love because God first loved us.
If you’ve taken detours or feel like a stranger to yourself, God knows exactly where you are and is always ready to welcome you back.
When you’ve lost your way to yourself, take a minute to pause.
To hear the Spirit whisper: “You are mine. You are my child. And you are loved. That’s who you are.”
So easy to forget. And I also need to remember, especially when I am annoyed, bothered, etc. with another- they are a child of God also. Sometimes it works but not always.
I loved your devotional. Part of it reminded me of a song called The Detour by Sarah Kroger. Beautiful song. Have a blessed weekend!
Dear Kayla……I need to tell you one incredible thing that happened to me about 4 years ago. Living then in a very dark season, I needed to drive to see my attorney. The meeting went well and I was not familiar with that area so off I went to my then home. Well, I took the wrong exit and after not recognizing the surroundings, I finally saw a sign that said I was almost to Philadelphia, PA. My mind said WHAT? I have no idea where I am, It was summer and I had no water, no phone or any of my medication as I thought I would be back in a half hour. I started to cry and pray and I really had to go to the bathroom too and this was a major expressway with no stores or anything, so I knew I had to get off an exit to find someone so I picked this one huge park that I at least knew the name of it. It got worse, there was a lane next to this park that you could pull over and park to hike all the trails. Not only did I lose my way, I felt like I lost myself too. How could I be so stupid to take the wrong original exit? Tears flowed and I looked for a police car or someone that I thought I could trust as there was so much crime in this area. No luck here either, then I saw this car pulling up in back of me and a gentleman got out and approached my car. He was a very tall wonderful black man and asked if he could help. He was an Uber driver who was supposed to be on duty. I explained in between sobs. He said not to worry, he would help me. He ran all over the side of the park we were on looking for a bathroom or somewhere he could get me some water.All the bathrooms were locked and no luck on the water. He came back and said, I should be working, but I will stay with you until I can contact the police. He got in touch with the police and explained the problem and where we were. They said them would be there, so he was going to go back to work. I thanked him and as he walked back to his car he quickly turned around and said, “No, I will wait with you until the police get here.” He did just that and we waited for about 30 minutes before they got there. I said to him, I am so thankful that you did this for me, but I have held you up too long. You should go. This is where the absolutely unbelievable thing happened. I said to him, “You know I never even asked you your name to say what a kind and thought man he was. He said, “Oh, my name is Emmanuel. My eyes widened and I knew it was God who sent him to me. We said our goodbyes and the police took me somewhere to go to the bathroom and get some water. They said, now just follow us and we will get you back to the highway you need to get home. I thanked them too and they got me where I needed to go. So, Kayla, as I drove home I was praying the whole time, but the big part relatable to your devotion is that when Emmanuel gave me His name before He left, that proved to me that God DOES where we are and what is happening with us no matter when or where you are. My faith had always been strong, but boy, did it get even stronger. I don’t tell anyone about this anymore, because people think I made it up, just like the story where Jesus and my Holy Spirit appeared to me when I was in a drug induced coma as the doctor gave the wrong information. I don’t care what those people and friends thought. I knew what I saw and who I met. Thank you Kayla for reminding me of this. I am still living in a dark season due to other problems, but I trust God and I know that He is working behind the scenes and if I am patient enough, something beautiful will happen. Thanks for your devotion, Kayla and I wish you a Blessed weekend and I will tell Jesus about your wonderful words……………..Betsy
Thank you Kayla ~ what a great reminder!
If you don’t mind, I think I’ll exclaim that I’m at “The Garden of Eagan” next time I find myself on a “backroad”! … & then laugh!!
Blessings to you ♥️
Beautiful reminder that He is never far and we are beloved children.