Identity

Hi friends. Today I’d like to start off with some reader participation. I’d like you to take a quick moment and answer the following question:

Who are you?

Now for those who skipped past the question and kept reading, I encourage you to pause and really answer it. How would you answer if someone you didn’t know asked? Would you answer with what you do for a living? Your hobby? Your relationship to others (spouse, parent, etc.)?

How I’ve answered that question has changed significantly over the years. I used to answer based on my job. It stayed that way for quite some time until I became a mom. Then that was my identity. I added to it when I became a runner. If you know a runner then you know, for reasons unknown we proudly state we’re runners. (What it really means is we have messed up feet and strong opinions on the best running shoes.) Those were my identities. I was “mom, runner, marketer”. Here’s the downside to how I defined myself. I could never measure up. I always felt I was lacking someway, somehow.

In my job there were actual performance reviews where the focus seemed to be all the areas I was lacking. As a mom - my own performance report of where I’d fallen short. I didn’t do enough crafts with my kids, wasn’t as patient as I’d like to be, not as fun, not as kind, not as…insert hundreds of ways I felt I didn’t measure up. Even as a runner – what was my speed, how far did I run, how many days. In every area where I defined who I was, it always left me lacking. Unworthy. Not good enough. 

What changed everything, was when my identity was realized in who I belong to. There was a tangible shift when I went from being someone who believed in Jesus to being someone who belonged to Jesus. Who was chosen by Jesus. Who is a child of God. It takes more than head knowledge of those things for a shift to occur. I imagine you know plenty of people who believe in Jesus but feel unworthy or badly about themselves.

It’s letting the truth of what it means to be a child of God sink into the very depths of who we are, who we believe ourselves to be, when the shift begins to occur. When I allow the truth of who I belong to, to rule and guide my life, all the unworthiness, the “not good enoughs”, the shame, regret, defeat, failings of my life, they’re washed clean. Jesus redefines them. 

Unworthy is now chosen, known, loved

Regret is now redeemed

Shame is now forgiven, wiped clean, made new

Broken is now whole

Hurt is now healed

Never enough is now child of the King

This is what Jesus does. It’s not just an idea or theory. It’s tangible. Thoughts, emotions, how we feel about ourselves, how we view others, it can all shift as we are made new and know who we are in Jesus.

The first step is to accept Jesus into your life. Without Jesus none of this is possible. It’s through Jesus we are forgiven for our sins. It’s through Jesus we are made new. Through Jesus we can become healed, whole, a child of the King. If you don’t know Jesus, I encourage you to click here and begin your relationship with him.

For those who have accepted Jesus into your life but still feel lacking, hurt, unworthy, I encourage you to press into your relationship with Jesus. You can go to church every Sunday for decades and not know Jesus, not have a relationship with him. I say that from experience as that was me. It was when I got to know him by spending time with him, that’s when everything changed. I encourage you to start by reading the Bible. Set a tangible goal for yourself. Every morning – 5 minutes a day. If you’re not sure where to start, I’ve got you covered – it’s a reading plan on the Gospel of John by the BibleProject. You can find it online here. For a book to read on the personality of Jesus, I recommend “Beautiful Outlaw” by John Eldridge. It’s awesome and you can find it on Amazon & Audible here.

I can’t encourage you enough to press into building your relationship with Jesus and knowing who you are in Jesus. It will transform your life in ways you can’t imagine. If Jesus had already transformed your life, I’d love to hear about it! Simply email blog@calvarylg.com and we’d love to hear your story!

Blessing you all with joy, peace, and knowing who you are in Jesus.