Who Are You? What Defines You?
What titles define you in this life?
Who are you? How do YOU define YOU? STOP! Think about what words you might use to describe yourself if someone asked. Perhaps wife, mom, professional, daughter, etc. If a few answers have popped in your head, then you are ready to read on…
When your environment changes, do you still know who you are?
I have witnessed people completely lose sight of who they are and how they fit into the world when their circumstances change. This can happen in every single area of our life: job loss, empty nest, divorce, etc. If we define ourselves through our situations, then when those circumstances change we are left grappling with our own identity. The environment that defined us is now gone! We are shaken to our core and desperate to find our new purpose. What is the most important definition of who you are? What lens do you see everything you do through? Parent, business owner, spouse, etc. To add some personal perspective, in this world I am a wife, mom, business owner, mentor, and servant to name a few. However, what I realized a few years ago is that the attribute that defines me TOTALLY is CHRISTIAN. Nobody and no circumstance can take that away from me. EVER. Thus, WHO I AM WILL NEVER BE SHAKEN.
If you are rooted in Christ NOTHING can ever change that
The roles that I play in this life do not have more power than the definition of who I am in Christ. I feel pain and pray for peace, but if my marriage is struggling it doesn’t change that I am first and foremost a follower of Christ. If my business went under then I would believe God is redirecting me to a greater purpose. If my physical or spiritual family is hurtful, I trust God is strengthening me through it. If my church disappoints me or were even to dissolve, I would be sad, but it wouldn’t change my devotion to the one true God. HE defines who I am, the rest of the world could crumble and I would still be his. A beloved Child of the One True King. I would still have his peace.
You are a Child of the One True King
A couple years ago I was preparing to teach a message and I had often heard people introduce themselves as the “Daughter of the King” or “Child of the King”. Honestly, I probably have a little baggage with being a daughter or child and so it just never resonated with me. However, God changed that mindset in a moment for me. I had always agreed with those Christian identities people gave themselves, but somehow I defined MYSELF as someone WAY down the loooong lineage of Jesus. A great, great, great, etc. granddaughter of the king. God said NO!
You are MY daughter. MY daughter….like living in my palace, playing at my feet, ask me all your silly questions because I am your Father excitedly sitting right here in anticipation of your next movement.
Because we have a personal, intimate relationship with our Father God. If I need something HE is right there, not some distant deceased relative that I don’t know anything about, but my ALL caring father. How differently would we live our life if we truly believed that the Creator of the Entire Universe was as attentive as the best earthly father should be. He is involved and wanting to know every detail of his beautiful creation; YOU and me! That picture made me understand how God sees me and you.
You are defined by your relationship with Christ, not your circumstances
So now when people ask me who I am, my very first response
is Christian. Everything else pales in comparison. That is how I define myself and I hope you do to. We are NOT defined by our circumstances, whatever they are, because we define ourselves as Christ followers. NOTHING in this world can shake that.
1 John 3:1
1 See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!
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4 thoughts on “Who Are You? What Defines You?”
Really good job. My prayer is that I concentrate on who I am in Gods eyes. Not to the world.
What a great reminder of our true identity!
In thinking of retiring from a job of 20 years, I have had to face those feelings of a piece of myself being lost. This was a great encouragement to me of the real value in my life.
Valerie, you have really missed your calling!! Yes you are an awesome dog groomer, however, you write even better than you groom! The stuff I’m reading is professional grade. You should send it to Guideposts or one of the Christian magazines. I’ll just bet you would be published. 💕🌹
This is awesome. Thank you for sharing.