becoming her

Thriving Into the Woman God Intended

In seasons of growth and transition, there often comes a moment when God lovingly disrupts our self-understanding—when the labels we’ve lived under begin to feel too small. In that space, a question rises to the surface: Who am I becoming? And with it, an invitation—Will I let go of the version of myself that no longer reflects who God is molding me into?

Scripture is full of people who struggled with this tension, but few stories capture it as poignantly as Gideon’s. When we meet him in Judges 6, Gideon is hiding. Literally. He’s threshing wheat in a winepress, trying not to be seen or noticed. In today’s lexicon, we might say he is “living small”—likely out of fear. 

But then an angel of the Lord shows up and calls him something that feels almost laughable given the moment:

“The Lord is with you, mighty warrior…Go in this might of yours and save Israel from the hand of Midian…” (Judges 6:12-14)

Mighty warrior? Nothing about Gideon’s current circumstance indicates that He is mighty, let alone a warrior. Even Gideon himself seems to suggest God has the wrong guy, responding: “Please, Lord, how can I save Israel? Behold, my clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father’s house” (Judges 6:15). 

But where Gideon sees himself through the lens of limitation, lack, and inadequacy, God sees him through the lens of calling. This is where identity and transformation collide.

When God looks at Gideon, He doesn’t define him by where he is hiding, what he lacks, or how small he feels. God names Gideon according to who he is becoming. He speaks not to Gideon’s fear, but to Gideon’s potential. Not to Gideon’s insecurity, but to Gideon’s purpose.

God names Gideon according to who he is becoming. And He does the same with us.

And God does the same with us. 

So often, we let our self-perception have the final word. I’m not enough. I’m too weak. I don’t have what it takes. I’m behind. I’m unqualified. These narratives become familiar companions. We cling to versions of ourselves shaped by past wounds, disappointments, or comparisons—versions that feel safer because they expect less.

But what if the very identity you’re holding onto is the thing God is asking you to surrender?

Transformation begins when we allow God to redefine us. Becoming who God intended doesn’t happen by striving harder or pretending we’re stronger than we are. It happens when we surrender the false identities we’ve settled into and trust the voice of the One who created us.

Gideon didn’t suddenly feel brave when God called him a mighty warrior. He still asked questions. He still needed reassurance. He still wrestled with fear. Yet God remained patient and present, steadily calling Gideon forward. The power was never in Gideon’s confidence—it was in God’s presence.

The power was never in Gideon’s confidence—it was in God’s presence.

This tells us something deeply freeing: God’s calling is not dependent on our current self-assessment. He is not limited by how we see ourselves. When God names you, He does so with eternity in view. He sees beyond the insecurity you’re rehearsing and into the woman He designed you to become.

Becoming “her”—the woman God intended—is not about erasing who you are, but allowing God to redeem and reshape it. It means loosening your grip on labels that no longer fit. It means trusting that God’s word over your life is truer than your fears. It means choosing to listen to the voice of the Creator over the voice of insecurity.

So ask yourself honestly: What identity am I clinging to that the Lord is asking me to surrender? The woman who hides in the background? The woman who defines herself by her past? The woman who believes she must feel ready before she obeys?

God may be calling you something that feels premature, uncomfortable, or even unrealistic. But remember—He never calls us based on who we are in the moment, but on who He created us to be.

Don’t let your view of yourself have the final word. Allow the One who formed you, called you, and walks with you to call forth the potential He sees within you. You may feel like Gideon in the winepress—inadequate, weak, and lesser than—but the Lord is saying to you today:

“The Lord is with you, mighty warrior. Now go forth in this great might of yours.”