Joy Through Identity
Having a grasp on your identity as a person may be the central key to living a joyful life. Ironically, if you asked most people if they were confident in who they are and their purpose in this life; you would find more confusion than clarity. There was a time in my life when having a strong sense of who I was baffled me as well. Even as a young Christian I confused my image (what I wanted others to think of me) and my identity (what God said about me and who I truly was in Christ). It wasn’t until I began to study God’s Word for myself to see what He said about me that The Lord began to bring clarity to my identity and joy in my life. Here are some things God is continually teaching me about who I am as a follower of Jesus:
I was created on purpose by God and I am priceless to Him: The God of the universe chose to make me in His image. I am a reflection of His glory and majesty. God made me for Himself and the path to knowing myself only comes from knowing Him because He made me.
Genesis 1:27 - So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.To truly know myself, I must first know God through Jesus: While every person on earth bears the image God, not every person on earth knows God through a relationship with Jesus. This is the only way for me to know who I am because I was never meant to live apart from my creator. My sin broke that relationship, but Jesus restored it once and for all.
Ephesians 3:19 - and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.Through Jesus I am adopted into God’s family; I am not an orphan anymore: No matter how lonely I may feel sometimes in this life, God tells me that I am never alone because He adopted me into His family. I know who I am and whose I am!
Ephesians 1:5-6 - In love he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved.
If you’re struggling, like I was, with discovering who you are; I encourage you to ask the One who gave you breath, value, and life. His name is Jesus. Continually seeking to know Him illuminates identity for us and brings joy that we cannot experience otherwise.
- Matthew Mofield