Who are you?
In the story, Alice in Wonderland, we are told of a young girl drawn into a world of contradictions and challenges to her way of thinking. How did it start? She chased a rabbit with a watch. In the process, Alice falls into a “proverbial rabbit hole”, entering a new reality that tests everything she claims to believe. My favorite character is the plump caterpillar who, positioned on a posh pillar, asks of Alice, “Who are you?”
Joseph, being sold into slavery by his brothers, found himself in new and perilous circumstances that challenged his faith and godly beliefs (Genesis 37-39). Daniel and his comrades, exiled in Babylon where continually tested and dared to “hold fast to their confession of faith”, even at the potential loss of their life (Daniel 1-3).
One of the challenges in living in the 21st century is understanding, “who we are”. Our identity. Why is it important? Who influences the choices we make daily? There are rabbit holes, temptations, and risks to life we must acknowledge as we continue our walk of faith. That’s why it’s important that we hold firm to our identity as followers of Jesus Christ.
Who do you identify with?
Identity is the set of characteristics that constitutes individual personality. It is our essential self and our personal uniqueness.
Our identity is shaped by personal traits, talents, values, and beliefs. External factors such as friends and family, social groups, and cultural heritage also shape who we are.
While identity deals with personal uniqueness, it also describes a person’s sameness with others. For example, one’s identity may be tied to a particular area (Midwesterner, New Yorker), a certain group (Boomers, Gen-Xers), or a cause (Save the Whales). It can also be tied to a political affiliation or religious denomination.
Our world is daily challenging us to “choose” who we identify with. The results are that we, as a society, are experiencing an identity crisis.
Identity crisis, in the psychosocial sense, is a condition of disorientation and role confusion as a result of conflicting pressures and expectations. Identity crisis seeks a clearer sense of self and acceptable role in society. Spiritual identity crisis is very similar, in that it occurs because of the conflict exerted from Satan, the world, and self.[1]
Unfortunately, rather than celebrating our God-given uniqueness, the world and Satan is using our identity to polarize us and to weaponize who we are.
Identity and our faith walk.
For believers, our identity is rooted and grounded in Christ Jesus (Col. 2:7). Through His work of redemption, we have been reconciled to the Father (Rom. 5:10).
Satan challenges our identity in Christ Jesus by first targeting our mind. He uses as his weapon, lies. These lies are designed to deceive and discourage. Satan’s purpose is to make us ignorant of God’s will and plan for our life.
The world also attacks our mind and our body. It creates an insatiable desire for “all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life” (1 John 2:16).
Lastly, self contributes to identity crisis by demanding freedom to exercise its personal will. The desire to rule self and operate independent of God leads to self-promotion, self-elevation, and selfishness. Left unchecked, man’s attention shifts from “what God desires” to “what feels right.”
In Christ we are now sons and daughters of God (John 1:12), endowed with a new identity and power. Through spiritual regeneration (2 Cor. 5:17), we have become partakers of His divine nature, the Holy Spirit, who is daily conforming us to the image of Christ (2 Pet. 1:4).
We must continually be on the watch for social, political, and yes, religious “rabbit holes” that challenge our identity in Christ. Next week, we will continue our discussion on identity and its importance in our faith walk.
[1] https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/identity-crisis