A prayer for identity

silent surrender series

My devotional series is bring published on my new substack Shanisha where I discuss my freelance writing life as a black women. I am reposting here for The Honest Virgin subbies as well.

This is part of an almost book release that I’ve adapted into a series. The devotional is called Silent Surrender: prayers for strong women who seek solace in submission which was originally written in verse (poetry). This particular poem is on identity and how beautifully frustrating it can be to submit to God’s view of us. It’s written in first person as a prayer meant to be prayed out loud.

God, why would you do this to me?
Don’t you know how you made me?
my mentality, personality all crafted by you.

I need other people to survive. 
self-sufficient independence is a sneaky mirage 
deep down I’m not. 
needing another doesn’t make me weak – it makes me human.
help me believe it!
change my mind about what strength is.
You are near to me and you care. 
Your name lasts throughout the ages. 
Nothing happens without your knowledge, 
remind me AlwaYS.