find your identity in Christ
seeing ourselves through God’s restorative lens
*this post is all about how to find your identity in Christ.
we live in a society that glorifies independence. spending our days measuring success by personal achievements, we seek to define ourselves by those in relation to us. we conform to the titles placed on us and measure our worth by what we do. but what happens when we are stripped of those labels? we lose our sense of belonging. we lose our sense of self.
april 18, 2018. i lost my identity. i had always been the girl who prided herself on knowing—knowing who i was, what i wanted to do, and who i wanted to become. but in a matter of days, the Lord had stripped me of everything i took comfort in. it was devastating, and it wrecked me. without warning, my life completely changed directions, and i found myself 9,000 miles away from a place i had dreamed about my entire life—mentally and physically.
uprooted
i felt more than broken. i felt ground to dust. the heartache was overwhelming. i had just been on the mountaintop and living out answered prayers. my hopes were being fulfilled, and i was walking confidently in my purpose, living a life that glorified him, or so i thought. i was independent and doing my thing. but without knowing, i had allowed my circumstances to define me. my identity had become deeply rooted in what i could accomplish. instead of working for the Lord, i was working for me. instead of glorifying him, i was validating myself. i had built an altar, and my roles had become my golden calves. so God removed them altogether. for months, i cried myself to sleep and woke up with tear-filled eyes. i didn’t understand what i had done wrong, and i felt punished.
(re)planted
but God graciously allowed me to take stock of my heart. he patiently showed me that my identity was not found in what i did, but in whose i was. i was trying to make sense of my situation, but was searching for touchpoints outside of God. but i needed a change in perspective because what was informing me had formed me. we often want God to work in our lives, but we don’t want to go through what that entails. for me, it meant i had to be honest about where i was spiritually and let go of the illusion of control. i needed to recognize my need for God and tear down the idols that hindered me from depending on the One who sets each season in motion. the Lord had begun redeeming my life, and i needed to view it through his restorative lens.
faith purifies the heart, and our faith cannot be perfected without patience. it took time to identify my idols, break down the altars i had built, and relinquish control. over the next year, God taught me how to entrust my story to him. my failures and disappointments redirected me back to him and reminded me of where my actual Source lies. and, as i sought the Author of my story, i was given an invitation to step into growth. i experienced his faithfulness daily as he deconstructed the false narrative i had been living out. my sense of independence wasn’t a sign of maturity in the sight of God, and he graciously showed me that my weaknesses weren’t a source of shame, but a platform for his glory and an instrument for his strength. as i reclaimed and honored the story he was writing, i could see that he was fully engaged in every aspect of my life. i was being divinely positioned but failed to realize it because the plans i had for my life were going off track. but the beauty of the reroute is getting to experience God’s redemptive ways.
bloom
God was and is divinely orchestrating my life, and i have to change my perspective and shift my gaze continually. i have to remind myself that he doesn’t choose me because of, he chooses me in spite of. no matter where i am in life, God’s view of me remains the same. nothing can change my intrinsic value, and because he shapes my totality, everything else has no actual weight. my experiences were unqualified to name me, and i had to forgive myself for believing my worth was found in what i could accomplish. i had to reject the patterns of this world and instead cling to my Creator. God does not measure success the way we do, and spiritual fruitfulness may not always manifest in tangible ways. but it’s the eternal that God is concerned with, and he will never take us to a place where our character can’t keep us. i am learning how to embrace what i never knew i needed and live my life in faith-filled obedience as God continues to guide me through my heartaches and disappointments. but i am experiencing blessings in the most unexpected places and learning how to enjoy where the Lord has placed me—dwelling on his mountaintop and entirely dependent on him.
HELPFUL BOOKS
dare to bloom: trusting God through painful endings and new beginnings by zim flores
after the rain: gentle reminders for healing, courage, and self-love by alexandra elle
*this post is all about our identity in Christ.
this site contains affiliate links, view the disclaimer for more information.
