Identity

Something that every Christian has to go through at some point in their walk with the Lord is their identity. Everyone puts their identity in something. It’s what you let define you. It could be your job, your relationships, your skills, whatever. 

An example I thought of just as I started writing was from Spider-Man: Homecoming. Tony tells Peter that he needs to hand over the spider suit since he can’t be trusted with it. Peter begs him to let him keep it saying, “I’m nothing without the suit.” Peter put his whole identity into being Spider-Man and especially in the high-tech suit that Tony gave him.

Letting just anything define you though is very dangerous. You can lose your job, you grow old, and don’t have the skills to do the thing you let define you anymore. But people put their identity in these things to be accepted and to be loved. 

As Christians, we are supposed to find our identity in God alone. He created us, so He gets to define us. To say that we know who we are better than our creator is so arrogant and idolatrous. Putting our identity in Christ is the only thing that will satisfy us. He is what we live for, who we were created for.

The Lord first took me through my identity on my first semester trip with AIM back in 2020. A lot of my identity at the time was rooted in what others thought about me. I spent a lot of time crying out to God when I was alone one day because I was afraid of what others would think of me. Also lots of conversations with my leader who was helping me navigate all this. 

One verse that someone gave me at that time that really impacted me and helped me with my identity was Isaiah 43:1, “But now thus says the Lord, He who created you, O Jacob, He who formed you, O Israel: ‘Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine.’”

There are plenty of other verses out there that speak about our identity in God: 1 Peter 2:9, Genesis 1:27, Psalm 139, John 1:12, and so many other verses. Just look up verses on identity and you can find plenty of verses on this. 

One thing that I was told and I’ve found to be true is that “I am” statements can be dangerous. When you say something like I am a writer or I am a dancer that is an easy way to put your identity in those things. For me, I would replace those I am statements with different I am statements. Those I am statements I would replace with statements like I am a child of God, I am loved by God, I am created by God, and I am God’s. When I was first doing that I found it helpful to say these things in a mirror. To look at the person that God created and start seeing myself the way He does. 

Putting your identity in Christ probably won’t look the same way it looked for me when I started but make the effort to find your identity and worth in God.