Galatians 3:26: Identity Crisis

Galatians 3:26

Someone shared with me that she is moving her youngest child to college this week, and she casually mentioned that she was having a bit of an identity crisis now that all the children are out of the house.  I could relate.  I was a stay-at-home mom who homeschooled our kids.  I remember when our homeschooling adventure came to completion; it was like someone pumped the brakes on the momentum of life and I looked around in the stillness and wondered, “Who am I now?”  A doctor I knew was, for quite some time, no longer able to be a doctor, resulting in a major crisis of identity:  “I’m a doctor who can’t doctor!  Who am I? I’m nothing.” …and depression set in.  A pastor friend developed Parkinsons and dementia and could no longer formally be a pastor. A firefighter from our church was paralyzed in an accident, turning his life upside-down overnight in almost every conceivable way.  All these kinds of circumstances can bring on identity crises and leave us feeling empty and confused.

When I went before the Lord with that uncomfortable ache in my heart and questions in my soul, He graciously and clearly gave me the perspective I needed. He solidly impressed on me from His Word that my true, unwavering identity is:  Child of the King.  Period. That is who I am. I am God’s child (Ephesians 1:5-6, Galatians 3:26, Romans 8:15-16).  …and He is the One who turns the pages and establishes the chapters of the life He has gifted to me.  God showed me that when we root ourselves in what we “do” rather than in who we “are,” we can be shaken to the very core of our being when our circumstances change.

Those who have trusted Jesus as their Savior are children of the King. That is our identity. When what we “do” changes, we haven’t lost our identity or value at all!  That remains constant no matter how the Lord decides to use us in any stage of life. I knew all that in my head, but had I really applied that truth in my heart? Or was I trying to hold onto an identity that I had created for myself in which being a child of God was merely a piece rather than the very foundation?  Are we anchoring ourselves to our careers? Our talents? Our achievements? Our relationships? Our social status?  The world does a pretty forceful job of telling us who we are or who we should be based upon externals, but the voice of the world isn’t the voice of truth.  No, friends. Being a child of God is our identity now.  It is the nucleus from which our whole life now flows! (John 10:10)  Maybe there’s a sense of pride in contextualizing our identity and worth by what we do, but God gently reminds us, “What do you have that you did not receive [from Me]? And if you did receive it, why do you boast as if you had not received it?” (1 Corinthians 4:7).  Our focus must shift from the tangential things of life to God’s perspective. Are we, like Job, willing to hold all things loosely (Job 1:20-21)? Our hands must be held open for our Father to fill as He desires. Our lives must be receptive and responsive to His plans and purposes for us (Galatians 2:20, 2 Corinthians 5:15).

God’s mission for your life and mine is far different than the pursuits of the world-at-large. We are redeemed by the blood of Jesus, adopted by the Most High God of heaven and earth, and empowered by His Spirit to be lights in the darkness, pointing the world to the Messiah (1 Peter 2:9-10, Matthew 5:14-16). No matter what else in life changes, our identity and purpose both remain fixed.  We should train our own hearts to declare, “I am a child of God who is currently serving Him as a [doctor…pastor…homeschool teacher…ambassador to others who are also wheelchair-bound…fill-in-the-blank] until He takes me on a different path to fulfill His purposes through me.”

As the seasons of life march on and we find ourselves in uncertain times of transition, let’s not get stuck in a pity party and be tempted to ask, “Who am I now?”  We already know the answer to that.  Let’s instead humbly ask God, “How do you want me to serve You now?” (Proverbs 3:5-6, Ephesians 2:4-10, 2 Corinthians 3:4-6, Luke 22:42)

The world defines us by what we do.  But God defines us by the blood of Jesus covering us.  So should we.