"When you discover who God made you to be, you will never want to be anyone else."
Bill Johnson
Let me ask you something…Who are you?
Take a moment now…think about that question. Whatever comes to mind first is what you presently most identify with.
Many people, when asked who they are, identify mostly with their career. I am a doctor, an accountant, a salesperson, a real estate agent. Some identify strongly with nationality or religion. Others with age, or gender, or temperament.
Much can be learned about someone's belief system based on how they answer the question, "Who am I?"
It reveals the primary lens from which they experience life. It is the context from which they interpret their surroundings, and the method by which they search for and assign meaning.
Here's something interesting that should get our attention though…
The field of psychology says that identity is one of the most important parts of a person's life and that it's formed, in large part, from what we believe about how others see us, and what they think or say about us.
Read that again. This time paying close attention to the relationship between you and everyone else that helps shape your identity.
Notice how our perceptions of what we believe about the judgments of others toward us play a significant role in the formation of identity.
Identity is pretty important in how we live out our lives…
So, should we really be relying so heavily on what we think the opinions of others are about us when answering the question, "Who am I?"
If even a well established and respected field of study, like psychology, thinks this is important, why aren't there classes on identity formation in schools?
How is it that a person can go all the way through elementary, high school, and even a top rated four-year university without ever being required to take an "Identity 101" class?
There's something else to consider though, the field of psychology and educational institutions don't seem to acknowledge one very important thing…
They don't take into account that there is another method by which identity can be formed.
Think about it…
It's highly unlikely that anyone will end up with an empowering identity, if it is shaped by the judgments and opinions of others. So what's a better way to approach this?
As Kingdom people, our primary lens to look at these things is, of course, the Kingdom lens.
Let's consider the life of Jesus, who is our model for all things Kingdom, including how identity is formed and found.
Identity is very significant in the Kingdom. In fact, much of what Jesus said in the gospel record is directly related to his identity as a son, in relationship to his Father, in heaven.
More than 120 times Jesus refers to the Father, and approximately 85 times Jesus refers to himself as the son of man.
"I and my father are one…" (John 10:30)
This demonstrates just how interwoven Jesus' identity and being is located in the father.
How could your life and the way you live it shift and what possibilities could open for you if your identity was so interwoven with God that you believed you and God were one?
When Jesus was baptized in the Jordan River, a voice came from heaven saying, "You are My beloved Son; in You I am well pleased" (Luke 3:22).
Watch what happens immediately after…
The Spirit drove Jesus into the wilderness, where he was tempted for forty days. And notice how the first two temptations begin by questioning his identity...
"If You are the Son of God…" (Matthew 4:3)
The temptations were designed to do one of two things... Cause Jesus to doubt his identity, or cause him to do something to prove it.
God doesn't trust what he doesn't test.
Even Jesus had to be tested. And this test was important because later, Jesus would face even greater pressure to prove himself to people who didn't yet know who he was.
People who are not secure in their identity often feel the need to constantly prove themselves to others.
Conversely, people who are secure in their identities don't need to prove anything to anybody.
Jesus could easily resist this temptation because he did not doubt who he was. He knew who he was and why he was here. He didn't need to prove it, he lived it. He passed the test.
That's the kind of confidence in identity that is required to live a finished life and to complete your Kingdom assignments.
If identity is formed by what we believe others think about us, then maybe we should allow the One who created us, and loves us more than anyone else, be the person we listen to when seeking the answer.
How about now?
Does this conversation change anything about how you initially answered the question we opened with... "Who are you?"
Now that we are thinking about this through the Kingdom lens, with Jesus as our model, let's ask some new questions...
Take a few minutes right now, ask God who he says you are, ask him to show you what your Kingdom identity is, then write out your new "I am" statement.
- How do you feel as you read your new Kingdom based identity?
- Does it inspire you to action?
- Does it cause you to see what's possible for your life as something big or something small?
- Have you already experienced seasons of testing around your identity? If so, what did you learn in that process?
- How will this new identity shift how you approach your assignments now?
When we begin living from our Kingdom identity, things suddenly start to look a lot different for us. I'd love to hear how this exercise changed your perspective. Reply to this email to let me know.
This article is an adaptation from Chapter 2 of Pedro Adao's book, The Finished Life. If you'd like to read more, you can pick up your copy on Amazon here.