The Revelation That Changes Everything

6/19/26 | Written by Idina Cole

There was a season when I couldn't understand why my life wasn't changing. Not because I wasn't trying. I was "trying".

I was reading my Bible.

Going to church.

Serving. Learning. Growing.

At least that's what I thought.

Yet somewhere underneath all of that activity was a question I couldn't seem to escape.

Why do I still feel stuck?

Why does scripture say one thing while my life seems to reflect something else?

Why does it feel like I'm constantly trying to become someone I should already be?

I couldn't quite put my finger on it. I just knew something wasn't lining up. And the harder I tried to fix it, the more exhausted and overwhelmed I would become.

Looking back now, I can see it more clearly. I was trying to build an identity through self-effort.

And everytime I felt pressure to perform, I responded by doing more. Everytime I felt uncertain if I was doing things right, I searched for another answer. Everytime I felt fear about my future and how my life would never change. I'd go looking for another strategy in self-help books, conferences, or another coaching program.

I thought if I could just learn enough, understand enough, do enough, I would finally arrive.

But the finish line kept moving. The striving never stopped. And underneath all of it was a quiet fear I didn't fully recognize.

What if I'm missing something?

What if everyone else knows something I don't?

What if the reason my life isn't changing is because I'm not doing enough? I didn't realize it then, but I was still trying to earn what had already been given.

Somewhere in the middle of all of that wrestling, I found myself drawn back to the parable of the sower.

I read it before.

Many times.

But this time if felt different. The seed wasn't the problem. The seed was always good. The question was the condition of the soil.

And I remember thinking:

I don't want to spend my life chasing fruit. I want to become good soil.

Not productive.

Not impressive.

Not successful.

Just Good soil.

The kind of heart that can actually receive what God is saying.

So I began praying a simple prayer.

"Lord, make me good soil. Search me. Show me what's getting in the way. Show me what's rooted deeper than I can see."

And little by little, things began surfacing.

Old beliefs.

Old fears.

Old ways of seeing myself.

Places where I was still responding from performance rather than relationship.

Places where I was still relying on myself instead of trusting God.

He revealed places in my heart where fear had me seeing danger everywhere. I believed that everything was out to get me or my kids.

Fear was my defense mechanism when I didn't want my children doing something that I was uncomfortable with..like hanging out with friends or walking to the neighborhood store. My mind always thought the worse case scenerio.

And here I was thinking I was just being a good mom, instead of trusting God.

The thing is in saying that prayer I wasn't looking for a revelation of Jesus.

At least I didn't think I was.

But that's exactly where God was leading me.

The Question That Wouldn't Leave

Then one day I found myself sitting in Matthew 16:13-20

I read it before.

Just like I know you've probably read it before too.

But suddenly it felt alive.

Jesus asks His disciples:

Everyone had an opinion.

Everyone had a perspective.

Everyone had a label.

And then Jesus asks a different question.

A personal question.

A question that bypasses the crowd.

A question that bypassess religion.

A question that bypassess culture and tradition.

I couldn't move past it.

Because suddenly it wasn't about what everyone else believed. It wasn't about what I had heard growing up. It wasn't about what had been taught to me.

It became personal. That's when the tears began to well up in my eyes, trying to fight back the tears all the while searching my heart for the answer. Looking for something memorable to say.

Who do I say Jesus is?

Who is He to me?

And when Peter answered, "You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God," Jesus responded with something that stopped me in my tracks.

And suddenly everything made sense.

When Revelation Reaches the Heart

Peter didn't arrive there through information. He arrived there through revelation.

The Father opened his eyes.

The Father revealed the Son.

And as I sat with that, I could no longer hold back the tears.

Because I realized that was exactly what had been happening in my own journey.

All those questions.

All those frustrations.

All those prayers

All those moments of searching.

God wasn't simply answering my questions.

He was revealing His Son.

I had spent years learning about Jesus. But now I was beginning to know Him.

As the Messiah.

My Redeemer.

My Savior.

My Lord.

The One who paid a debt I could never pay.

The One who accomplished what I could never accomplish.

The One who was never asking me to strive my way into sonship.

The One who had already made a way.

And once I saw Him differently, I could no longer see myself the same way.

What moves me most about Matthew 16 is what happens next.

Peter receives revelation about Jesus.

Then Jesus reveals Peter.

The revelation of Christ is followed by the revelation of identity.

And maybe that's the part we've missed.

We spend so much time asking:

• Who am I?
• What is my purpose?
• What am I called to do?

But perhaps the deeper invitation is this:

Who is Jesus?

Because when the Father reveals His Son, everything else begins to come into focus.

Identity stops being something we create. It becomes something we receive. The pressure lifts. The striving loosens its grip. The performance begins to fall away. And we find ourselves returning.

• Returning to truth.
• Returning to relationship.
• Returning to the One who has been there all along.

He's the Cornerstone.

The foundation.

The place where everything begins. And maybe that's where reclaiming our identity truly starts. Not with discovering who we are. But with allowing the Father to reveal who Jesus is.
​
​Pause here.

Maybe this is the question the Lord has been gently placing before you all along.

• Not what should I do?
• Not how do I fix this?
• Not how do I become better?

But simply:

Who do I say that Jesus is?

Sit with that for a moment.

And let Him answer....

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