Identity

Have you ever felt lost? Have you ever wondered why you are here? Do you ever struggle to find purpose or feel comfortable in your own skin? It is evident in society today, even in the church, that people struggle to discover their true identity. Today, we are going to see what God's word says about it. You see, God created us in His image, and each one of us was created for a purpose.

This is something I personally struggled with for years. Growing up, I was pretty shy and often felt invisible. I always felt so different and that my voice didn't matter. These were lies that the enemy told me to keep me isolated and alone. I tried to earn love and favor from both God and man by my behavior. I was a "good girl" who went out of my way to avoid conflict and earn approval from everyone. I thought that once I fell in love and got married, things would be different, and I would find the acceptance and unconditional love my heart was longing for. The only problem with that is that my husband was human. He had his own struggles and insecurities. Now what?! This realization pushed me to the Lord and His truth. The more I turned to Him, the more He began opening my eyes to the truth.

I could never earn His love; He already loves me. Such a simple, yet profound truth. He loves us when we don't deserve it, and He wants us to know Him. It's His love that draws us to Himself, and it's His love that fills us so we can love Him in return. It is this love that enables us to love others.

"We love because he first loved us. If anyone says, "I love God," and hates his brother, he is a liar, for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. And this commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also love his brother." - I John 4:19-21

Psalm 139 is one of my favorite passages for explaining how precious we are to God and how lovingly we are created.

"For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother's womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well. My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them." - Psalm 139:13-16

This passage makes it very clear that none of us is a mistake. If God took that much care creating us, then we are exactly who we are supposed to be. Our gender is not a mistake. That is a very volatile issue right now, but it's so simple. If you examine what Scripture says about you, it dispels the confusion. The truth can be hard when it challenges our flesh or contradicts what the world tells us we should be. The truth can also set us free.

"If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." - John 8:31-32

Our life has value because He made us. The enemy is doing his best to corrupt that design. He is the one who whispers to our souls that we are a mistake, that we were meant to be something other than what God made. The enemy causes confusion, self-hatred, and condemnation. The Lord is Light, Truth, and Peace.

If you are struggling with this and do not know Christ, I encourage you to give your life to Him. He will bring new purpose, hope, and peace to your life. If you are a believer, yet you struggle to see yourself through His eyes, I challenge you to turn to the One who made you. Have faith that what He says is true. It was when I began pursuing God and surrendering to Him that He began to take these truths from head knowledge to heart knowledge.

One final point, and probably the most important. When we recognize our sinful nature and realize our need for Christ, He makes a way for us to be made brand new. Jesus came so we could be saved. Once we put our faith in Him and make Him Lord of our lives, we become a new creation.

"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come." - 2 Corinthians 5:17

"I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me." - Galatians 2:20

Father God,

Please be with me dear friend reading this. May they come to know how much you love them, and may they see themselves through your eyes. Lead them to the truth of your love and who you created them to be in Christ Jesus. Strengthen and encourage them in the days ahead. Open their eyes and ears to your truth, and reveal any lies of the enemy they may have believed. Thank you for loving us and having a plan for each of our lives. Help us always to remember that we are made in your image.

In Jesus' precious name,

Amen

Have a blessed week, my dear friend!

Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. The ESV text may not be quoted in any publication made available to the public by a Creative Commons license. The ESV may not be translated in whole or in part into any other language.