Identity

Ever wish you were someone else? Ever wonder what your life would be like if you went to a different school, had a different job, or perhaps a different family? Ever wonder what your life would be like if you lived in a different country? Ever wish God had created you differently?

I'm pretty sure we've all had questions like these run through our minds. Sometimes its just simple curiosity, but other times its a desperate wish to be someone other than yourself.

But think about it... wouldn't the world be pretty boring and messed up if everyone was the same? If we all had green eyes, we wouldn't know the beauty of brown eyes. If we went to the same school, well, that'd pretty much be impossible. If we all had the same experiences we wouldn't get to have the excitement of sharing them with someone else.

What I'm trying to say is that our world would be dull if we were all the same.

But God has blessed us each differently. We go to the schools we do for a reason. He's the one who made us look the way we do. He placed us each in the families we're in. We live in different places. Some of us have never lived in more than one place, while others have never lived anywhere longer than two years.

No one should look down at you because you're different from them. And you shouldn't look down at someone because they're different from you.

Some of us were home schooled, or went to a public school, or a private school. Some of us have black hair, red hair, or blonde hair. Some of us will be engineers, lawyers, writers, cooks, waitresses, or in the clothing industry. There are so many differences we have. There is beauty in that.

But we aren't all completely different. In the ways that count we're the same.

We all struggle.
We all have feelings.
We all desire to be loved.
We all need Jesus.

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If you were asked to describe yourself what would you say?

The funny one in the group, the sarcastic one, the "church going kid", a writer, a dancer, a soccer player, a dreamer, indecisive, a leader... the list can go on forever. These things may very well describe us in one way or another. But these things aren't our identity. When we label ourselves as something it sticks. Sometimes other people try to label us and sometimes we do it to ourselves. And when we do we get stuck in an endless cycle. We think that because we're indecisive we can never make a decision. We think that because we're a talented artist we shouldn't try out for the basketball team. We get stuck in a cycle of believing these things about us are who we are.

For those of us who are in Christ, who are children of God, that should be our identity. We are children of the most High God.... that's the only identity that matters!

1 John 3:1 says, "See what great love the Father has given us that we should be called God’s children—and we are!"

Ephesians 1:4-6, "For he chose us in him, before the foundation of the world, to be holy and blameless in love before him. He predestined us to be adopted as sons through Jesus Christ for himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace that he lavished on us in the Beloved One."


I didn't really touch on the subject of beauty in this post, that's often another struggle when it comes to our identity. But Riley recently posted on her blog about beauty and you can click here to read her thoughts about it.

Just remember, God created you the way you are for a reason. Your identity shouldn't even be who you are, but who God is. The one identity that matters is who we are in Christ.


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What are your thoughts on the subjects? What do you find your identity in? What are some struggles you have with your identity? Any favorite Bible verses on the subject?