As I have evaluated my life and my "identity" the Lord has also opened my eyes to the issue of identity in our culture. The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines identity this way:
If you sit and think about it what are somethings individuals place their identity in? Money, careers, cars, beauty, clothes, approval of others, relationships, popularity, athletics, music, talent.
2 a : the distinguishing character or personality of an individual : individuality b : the relation established by psychological identification
What is it you place your identity in? A little test is to ask yourself is "What would I die without?" Or fill in the blank: "If this_____were to be taken away I would feel as if it was the end of the world."
For me personally it is the approval of others. When I made the statement "If I no longer had the approval of other people (if the approval of others were to be taken away) I would feel as if it was the end of the world."
Praise God that our identity doesn't truly lie in the things listed above or anything else. For our true identity lies in His son Jesus. Ephesians 1:5 says "He predestined us for adoption through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of His will," And 1 John 3:1-3 says: "See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him. Beloved, we are God's children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. 3 And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure."
I want to leave you with a quote by Lysa Terkeurst from her book "Made to Crave" that I find very insightful:
"Each day, let God whisper into your heart the truth of who you are---and whose you are....We must rise above the chatter of the world, place our identities in the un-shifting grace of God and keep our hearts tuned to the reassuring whispers of Jesus."
