Without even realizing it, for years, my identity was wrapped up in being a wife and mom.  There’s just one problem with that: these things can be taken away.  Children grow up and move away.  Husbands leave.  Husbands die.  And what then?  Our identity is smashed to pieces, and we’re left broken, not knowing who we are. 

If we find our identity in anything but Christ, we will be lacking in satisfaction and fulfillment because nothing else was made to fill us.  We were fearfully and wonderfully made to have a relationship with Christ and look to him for our ultimate fulfillment and joy.  When we find ourselves in him, we have an unshakeable identity that we will never lose. 

This is all well and good, but how do we do that?  How do we make sure our identity is in Christ and stays rooted in Christ?  First of all, we must stay in close contact with him through prayer.  I’m so grateful that because of Christ, we can pray directly to our heavenly father.  We don’t have to go through a priest or prophet like they did in the Old Testament, but we can each approach the throne of grace with confidence, knowing he hears us each and every time we come to him.  We also must stay grounded in the truth of his word.  We can’t know who we are in Christ if we don’t stay in his word.  Let’s be honest: we are a forgetful people.  We need to constantly read and be reminded of truth.  This is what helps us keep our identity in Christ.  If we don’t, our hearts can easily wander and start tying our identity to other things.  Before too long, we feel defeated, overwhelmed, exhausted.  We are saved, but we start feeling and acting like someone who’s not.  Our God is a God of hope and comfort.  If you start feeling hopeless, it could be because you are finding your identity (in part or full) from something or someone besides Christ. 

“When you find your identity in the one who created you, it will change your whole perspective.”  (Overcomer movie)  It will free your soul and allow you to be who God made you to be when you tie who you are to nothing but Him.  All of a sudden, negative or challenging circumstances won’t break you; they will just be the way things are.  They won’t shake who you are because your identity isn’t in your circumstances but in Christ.  Our insecurities and self-doubt lessen because we are secure in Christ.  We remember we have the power of the Holy Spirit living in us, and He is the source of our joy and hope.  We don’t have to wait for a relationship to work out, or a child to come to Christ, or finances to get better, or a job promotion at work.  We can still pray for these things and do our part, but we don’t have to wait for them to happen to feel joy or hope.  Our joy and hope come from the truth that Christ died for us, abides in us through his Holy Spirit, and we will be with him in heaven one sweet day. 

Don’t let the enemy tell you you’re anything less.  You “are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” (Ephesians 2:10 ESV)

“For we are the product of His hand, heaven’s poetry etched on lives, created in the Anointed, Jesus, to accomplish the good works God arranged long ago.” (Ephesians 2:10 The Voice)