Where Does Your Identity Lay?

What would it look like if, as Christians, our identity laid not in our outward appearances, wealth, or worldly successes, but rather, it laid in our oneness with Jesus Christ? After all, “our citizenship is in heaven” (Philippians 3:20). Would the way we view ourselves not be drastically different if we truly believed that God created us in his own image? As it is written, “God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him” (Genesis 1:27). In light of this we are offered a sort of divine confidence in who we are, regardless of what the world tries to tell us. The Bible assures us that “He will take great delight in [us] … he will rejoice over [us] with singing” (Zephania 3:17). God, the creator of the universe, takes joy in YOU. He finds pleasure in your life, even though it is a mere “mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes” (James 4:14). How can something so awe-inspiring not be enough? It is a great tragedy when we are deeply valued by an eternal God and yet still look towards other humans for approval? Day after day we must strive to block out the plethora of lies that bombard us daily and reach to fully grasp the richness found at the heart of this truth.

Now let’s turn the tables for a minute. There is a lot more wrapped up in this truth than simply having confidence in the person God made you despite the lies of the world. Remember, these words were not written just to you. But these same feelings of love extend towards every human life. Whether it be the guy you sit next to in class, the girl working at the coffee shop you go to, the starving child in Africa, the child infected with Malaria in South America, the single mother infected with AIDS in India, the child soldier in Uganda, the terrorist responsible for civilian bombings, Osama Bin Laden, Sadam Hussein … get my drift? Imagine how a genuine belief in this would revolutionize the way we live our lives.

What if we were able to set aside all of the things that cripple our ability to see others the way Christ sees them?

… Would this not be easier if our identity lay solely in Christ?

What if we loved, not expecting anything in return?

… Would this not be easier if we fully understood the depth of God’s love for us?

What if we looked not within ourselves but to God for the ability to love unconditionally?

… Would this not be easier if we recognized our inability to love apart from God?

What if… we loved the world like Christ did?

… Would the world not be a different place?

Is this not what God has called us to do?