FINDING YOUR GOD-GIVEN IDENTITY
Studies have shown that “Tell us about yourself” is the hardest for job seekers to answer out of all interview questions. Why? It kicks your brain into overdrive, making you think of how to capture the essence of who you truly are without watering down your essence as a person.
What is an IDENTITY?
Wikipedia defines identity as the set of qualities, beliefs, personality traits, appearance, or expressions characterising a person or a group. Simply put, it differentiates you from billions of other people worldwide. In every organisation or setup, there is always a means of identification for everyone who belongs to that organisation, and it is a means by which intruders are easily detected.
Your identity is who you are, what you tell people you are, and what people know you to be.
As simple as knowing who you are sounds (I mean, it’s you defining yourself; it shouldn’t be that difficult, right?), many people still struggle with it. If not contained, this self-conflict can spiral into an identity crisis. It becomes a crisis if you cannot define precisely who you are for a long time, and this confusion begins to affect your choices.
How does an identity crisis begin?
1. Lack of clarity.
This is an experience of deep fatigue and confusion about life’s choices. The confusion stems from the realisation that you don’t know what else life has in store for you. It can also stem from not knowing what to do with the rest of your life. This can happen to anyone of any age: a fresh university graduate trying to get a job, a teenager about to fill out a school application, someone seeking a new income stream, etc. Simply put, when answering the questions ‘Who am I?’ and ‘What is my purpose?’ results in blank stares and a loss of words, then there is a lack of clarity in play.
2. Sin and guilt.
When you plague yourself with guilt about past sins you’ve repented from, you prevent yourself from looking towards the future with new eyes. When you think of who you are, you only remember the part of yourself that sinned, forgetting that you are much more than that.
3. Adopting the identity of the world.
Nature, they say, abhors a vacuum, so if you cannot succinctly define yourself by yourself and for yourself, people or other things will define you, and those definitions will stick to you in no time. We live in a world that seeks to put labels on everything, even down to intrusive thoughts. These labels, when adopted, confine you to a rigid line of thought and dictate what you do.
Your True Identity in Christ
A Christian YouTube podcast host said, “When you have a father, you don’t create a new identity; you inherit it.” This is true because, as a child of God, God is your Father, and you should inherit His identity. His Word is the only consultation book you need to know your true identity.
Here is a snapshot of your identity in Christ:
– Your identity blueprint is settled: “Before I formed you, I knew you; before you were, I sanctified you and ordained you…”(Jeremiah 1:5)
– God has the template for creating you: “Then God said, “Let us make man in our own image, according to our likeness. Let him have dominion…” (Genesis 1:26)
– Your purpose is a good one: “For I know the thoughts I have towards you. Thoughts of good and not of evil to give you an expected end.” (Jeremiah 29:12)
– The Word contains your identity; search it! “…beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being changed into the same image from glory to glory…” (2 Corinthians 3:18)
– Take your lamp and shine it: “…ye are the light of the world. A city set upon a hill that cannot be hidden.” (Matthew 5:14)
Your identity should not be sought after in things of the world; they are fleeting, and the labels never end. The only identity that sticks, makes sense, and sums up your whole life is the one you find in Christ.
Seek God’s guidance and live according to His manual, which is the Word, and soon your confusion at the question, ‘Who are you?’ will be a thing of the past.