Hello darlings! Happy 31st birthday to me! 🎉
Recently, two of my loved ones asked me how I felt about turning 31. Their question gave me a moment to pause and reflect. After sitting with it, I realized there was one phrase that captured it all: I feel rooted and grounded. And indeed, that is exactly what my 31st year is about.
If you’ve been here for a while, you’ve witnessed my journey. It has been one of healing, growth, and discovering who I truly am. Our world often teaches us to define ourselves by the titles we earn or the roles we hold. But that is not the identity I’m talking about. I’m talking about the identity that comes from within, the one you carry with quiet confidence. As a believer, that identity comes from my Creator.
Looking back, my 30th year was a season of awakening and finding the true light. More importantly, it was about defining who I am with God’s help. Not through my therapist, my family, my friends, or my work, but through God. And that identity is a solid one, darlings.
For so long, I was trapped in patterns and unending cycles. I have come to believe that this is one of the enemy’s greatest strategies: to steal or confuse our identity because he knows how powerful it is. His mission is simple, to keep us from fulfilling our purpose here on earth. One of his greatest weapons is the mind, a remarkably powerful gift. As the Bible reminds us, he comes to steal, kill, and destroy. Sometimes, he even convinces us to become our own greatest obstacle. I hope that makes sense.
Let me use the analogy of a seed—a symbol mentioned more than 300 times in the Bible. Can a guava seed grow into a mango tree? Of course not. A seed can only become what it was created to be. But what enables that seed to flourish? Healthy soil, sufficient light, water, and the right climate. And what is the evidence of a healthy tree? Its fruit, its leafy branches, its green leaves, and even the shade and comfort it offers to others.
My point is this, only after we know who we are can we intentionally nurture that identity by creating a healthy environment for growth. Only then can we truly add value to the world. As both the saying and Scripture remind us, we will know them by their fruits.
So, what fruits are showing in your life today? Are you planted in the right environment? Even before that, do you know who you are? Not who the noise tells you that you are, but who God says you are?
Last year, John C. Maxwell taught me something that has stayed with me: Only when I can lead myself can I truly lead others.
With that, I step into my 31st year committed to living from a rooted and grounded identity. My prayer is that people will know me by my fruits, by the health of my tree, and by the depth of my roots. I also pray that I will continue seeking the environments that allow those roots to grow even deeper.
And for you, darling, I hope this encourages you wherever you are on your journey. If you’re still discovering who you are, may you find the grace to keep seeking. If you’ve found your identity, may you continue nurturing it faithfully.
Above all, I’m sending you so much love and praying for abundant grace on your journey.
Happy 31st to me! 🤎
Xoxo,
Mwendwa 🙂
