Identity Crisis

In the culture we live in, there seems to be these expectations that when we hit this certain age a big milestone needs to happen. Each age starts to have this label we need to reach. For example, at eighteen you go to college, then you get a job, find a spouse, buy a house, have children, get a promotion, buy a bigger house, etc. Society has turned our lives into checklists that never appears to be fully completed. The list of the culture's expectations never really go away, so as we start to get older we slowly turn our lives into disappointment. We are convinced we will never reach our personal goals, plainly because we are too busy trying to check off all the things from our life’s checklist that never seem to happen. Then there becomes this specific checklist we neglect to have, because we are too busy trying to complete our life’s checklist. This is vitally the most important checklist--- our christian checklist. We forgot to ask ourselves— What in the world are we doing to remain in our identity in Christ? What are we doing to make our checklist in Christ better? Are we becoming too concerned on life's milestones we are not reaching that we lose sight of our checklist in Christ and identity in the Lord?

There are all sorts of misconceptions I can think of in this world. To me, one of the biggest ones starts to be the way we seem to be viewing ourselves and our peers. “Based on faulty thinking”, such a deep definition for such a powerful word. We base our thinking on how we should be, on what we should have done by this age. The certain milestone we should have done by now. I always have this sense of thinking of the way people view me, but really it’s the way I view myself and the way I feel about myself (which I’m too afraid to admit). “ What others say and do is a projection of their own reality”. The way people think about us, the way people treat us is not our fault. Regardless, if it’s good or bad the way people treat us is really due to what they seem fit. It reflects the way they view us as a person and how much respect they think we deserve as an individual.

Recently an individual whom I greatly respect was telling me about my identity in Christ. If we put the I am... What would we use to fill in the blank? Our identity in Christ is one of the only fill in the blanks that will make everything seem better. The hard times will still be there, in fact, they won’t ever really leave. They will still be there in one shape or form. But as we put the, “ I am in Christ”. Not the irrelevant things that might pop into our head. The negative things in life. The hurt in the world, unfortunately, won’t just disappear, nor will the fear or the depressed feelings. But it will make it so much easier. As we remain in Christ we need to remember all the I am’s we are:

I am God’s child ( Eph. 1:3-8).

I am a friend in Christ ( John 15:15).

I am a member of Christ’s Church ( 1 Cor.12:27).

I am a citizen of heaven (Phil. 3:20).

I am God’s workmanship ( Eph. 2:10).

I am a New Creation (2 Cor. 5:17).

I am a minister of God ( 2 Cor. 5:18-21).

I am justified and righteous (Rom. 5:1).

I am secure in his hands. ( John 10:28).

I am fearfully and wonderfully made ( Ps. 139:14).

I am free from condemnation ( Rom. 8:1).

When we think about what Christ endured for us things start looking up. We all have an identity; whether or not we choose to put our identity in Christ is our choice.

—— Natalie Corbelli