i·den·ti·tyˌīˈden(t)ədē/
noun
1. THE WORLD’S DEFINITION: The sum total of your actions, thoughts, behaviors, appearance.
2. GOD’S DEFINITION: The sum total of Christ’s actions, thoughts, behaviors, and appearance.
We live in a world that is crying out in an identity crisis. Every day we hear new terminology to define ourselves.
We have a plethora of labels that the world stamps on our foreheads in order to identify us. They tell me that I am an athlete, thin, young, straight, white, a student, a Christian, mentally ill, and a girl. Growing up I have clung to these labels placed upon me because without them, I didn’t know who I was or where I belonged. Today I see this everywhere I go. I see fear everywhere. If there is no label for the way you feel, think, or do life, chaos and fear runs ramped until and someone creates one. We as humans are in a constant striving for definition and in that striving deep down we are hoping that we will find the acceptance and security that we really long for; that we will finally feel as if we belong and are loved and are allowed to be who we really are.
For example, If I am the only person I know who feels afraid on a regular basis for no reason, I feel like an outcast until someone tells me “it’s okay, you have an anxiety disorder. You are mentally ill, there are others like you.” This sounds great, the camaraderie of having people with your labels. Knowing that you are not alone in something further fuels the desire to label yourself and ultimately leads to searching for more.The more labels we have, the more we are not alone, right? In my experience, this is not the case.Labeling myself has been a constant venture that so far has proved to leave me just as unsatisfied as I was before I found words to describe those parts of me. I have more words today to describe myself than I ever have, but I still have no idea who I am. I am constantly anxious about my identity.
The worst part of this is, what if I don’t want to be anxious, or white, or young, or straight….then what? Am I stuck being what the world has told me I am? Will I truly only ever be defined by my actions, abilities, desires, or fears?
Am I not more than these?
What if I told you that you are more than a collection of words?
What if I told you that those labels actually do not define who you really are?
What if I told you that you could have a secure, consistent identity where your actions, feelings, abilities, or fears have no real weight?
What if I told you that it is possible to be who you really are without all the labels?
Here’s the great news, it is.
“Therefore, since you have been raised with Christ, strive for the things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory.” (Colossians 3:1-4)
When we allow Christ our creator, our lover, and our knower to define us, nothing we do, think, or feel has as much weight. Our identity is firm and cannot be shaken because Christ is the rock that cannot be shaken and it is on Him that we stand. Because I have surrendered my life to Christ, I am now defined by His actions and not my own. I am defined by His desires and not my own. I am defined by His strength and not my weakness. And one day I will appear with Him in all of His glory because of what He has done.
With this knowledge I can truly say that I am at peace with myself because I know that I will never be anyone else than who God made me to be for His glory. No matter what the world tries to tell me in the days to come, I have decided to stop listening to them because they are wrong.
My anxiety does not define me.
My sexual attraction does not define me.
My body does not define me.
My skin color does not define me.
My sin does not define me.
My past does not define me.
The world does not define me.
This truth has just recently been revealed to me and it has changed my life and freed me up to live without the fear of losing myself. Scripture says that my identity is hidden with Christ, and I believe it. I am rejoicing because I am a child of God and that will never change because Christ sealed my destiny at the cross with His blood.
I dare you to set yourself free from the labels. You are more than the words people use to describe you. Run and dance and sing and be you knowing that if Christ is your King and Savior, then it is His actions and words that define you, not yours. Hallelujah!!! *sigh of relief*
