Identity (noun): the distinguishing character or personality of an individual; the condition of being the same with something described or asserted
Who am I? What is my “true” identity? I’ve been thinking lately about how when we meet new people, we tend to define ourselves either through our relationships or by our careers. For example, the first identifying phrases we tend to use are related to being married/single, having kids or not, and what we “do for a living”. Yet for others I know, their identity is built on an event in their lives, or on a specific diagnosis, or on being a victim of a wrong-doing.
Is this how God would identify us?
What boldness and honesty it would take to respond to the “Who are you?” question with an immediate and authentic statement of “I am a child of God”. That’s my one true identity, the one God created. My identity as His child is the one that matters most, the one He wants me to spend my time and energy on, and the one on which I need to build my foundation.
The other things I call myself (e.g., mother, wife, artist, consultant, etc.) are either labels or adjectives to describe me, but they are not my core identity. These other words are human-driven, and can easily lead to pride, boasting, shame, or guilt if I attempt to use them as my true identity. They are changeable, momentary, or unstable.
But my identity in Christ is unshakable, constant, and forever.
“In a word, what I’m saying is, Grow up. You’re kingdom subjects. Now live like it. Live out your God-created identity. Live generously and graciously toward others, the way God lives toward you.” Matthew 5:48 MSG
And, “I will be a Father to you, and you will be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty.” 2 Corinthians 6:18
In his book “Pursued”, Jud Wilhite writes this about living with an identity in Christ:
“Believers struggle every day remembering who we are and how to live in this new identity. Our spiritual identity is stolen by shame, negative self-talk, by giving into temptation. We begin to see ourselves through labels – too fat, too lazy, an addict, etc. – instead of through the truth of the gospel. We have a partial gospel – we don’t live in our inheritance and identity in Christ. We don’t strive to attain our identity, rather our obedience flows out of our identity. The challenge of the Christian life is learning to grow into who God says I already am.”
Who Am I?
If my challenge is to grow into who God says I already am, then the question remains: Who Am I?
Casting Crowns has a song with this title – Who Am I? – and it’s one of my favorites on my playlist. I have always liked this song since it appeared in 2003, but I became even more captivated with it after participating in a black light drama with some of the teenagers at my church last year. In this type of performance, all the room is dark, the only light is a “black light”, and the performers use white gloves (or other apparel) to express the words of a song.
Our song was “Who Am I?”, and through many rehearsals, this song became engrained in my brain. And that’s a good thing, because now the answer to the question “Who Am I?” comes even easier to me…
The simple answer is this: I AM YOURS
*******************************
You can watch our performance through YouTube:
Watch our performance through YouTube CWUMC Student Blacklight Drama – “Who Am I” – Ash Wednesday 2017
Another GREAT song praising our identity in Christ by Lauren Daigel is “You Say“