Identity. It’s the fundamental building block of our lives. Almost everything we do or say stems from who we believe we are at our core. For this reason, it’s essential to have a healthy view of our identity. The uncomfortable truth of life is that we are not promised or guaranteed anything. The only sure thing is our position as children of God. If your identity is in ANYTHING other than Christ, you’ll be left wondering who you are when that thing or person ultimately disappoints you.
We love to label ourselves by our jobs, our families, our children, our spouses, our friends, and even our sin. But when these labels become our core identity, they do nothing for us except indicate that we have something or someone ruling our lives who is not God.
“For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” – Galatians 3:27-28 NIV
When we clothe ourselves with Christ, He is THE defining characteristic of our lives. Finding our identity in Christ brings us FREEDOM. We are who Christ says we are, and there is freedom in not having to work for or earn our identity. It’s inherent in who we are created to be.
“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.” – Jeremiah 1:5 NIV
The truth is that God knew each of us before we were born and created each of us specifically and intentionally. When we define ourselves by who God says we are, we find an unparalleled and unshakeable identity. God’s view of us never changes.
You can lose your job, and you’ll still be a daughter of God. You can be divorced, and you’ll still be a daughter of God. You can be homeless, experience infertility, or struggle with the same sin for years, and you’ll still be a daughter of God. Finding our identity in Christ does not mean that we won’t go through hard things. It does mean, however, that when we experience difficulties, we don’t have to question who we are or whose we are.
When you feel like you are defining yourself by the things you do, use these verses to remind yourself that your identity is secure in Christ.
