The Loop

You see it everywhere—book titles, wall art, Instagram posts, podcasts, and more.  

“The world needs who you were made to be.”  

But what happens when I have no idea who I was made to be? And if the world needs who I was made to be, then why is it also trying so hard to answer that question with things that aren’t me? It’s a never-ending cycle without an easy answer.  

Can you relate? I can.  

A few months ago, I had the opportunity to join a group of ladies from our women’s ministry and attend a three-day retreat at a campground in the middle of nowhere Indiana. I was excited to go, but I was also nervous. I didn’t know what God had in store, let alone what we were even going to be talking about at the retreat. What I did know, though, was that I wanted to hear from God, so much so that I was begging Him for a breakthrough.  

I could go into a lot of detail about what God did during that time—how in grace He shattered lies and in unconditional love, He spoke truth. How suppressed joy began to reemerge, friendships were created and bonds were cemented, vulnerability became just a little less scary, and the truth of who I was made to be, began to sink in. There’s a lot that I could say, but the truth is, it would take up more space than a blog allows and I’m still processing. But in an effort to put it into one sentence—  

My identity is God’s alone to define. 

It’s not mine. It’s not my family’s. It’s not my friends’. And it’s certainly not the world’s. My value and worth are found in who HE says I am, not in my performance or how well I live up to certain standards. From the beginning of time, God’s plan in creating me has always been full of intentionality. He created me with a purpose and identity that is sealed in the promise of who HE is.  

That’s worth saying again. God created me with a purpose and identity that is sealed in the promise of who HE is. The same is true for you.  

This month in kStudents we are in a series called “Distinct.” From that comes this statement: “Discovering who Jesus is helps us discover who we’re meant to be.” (credit Grow Curriculum) 

How do we know the answer to who we were created to be? How do we help our students understand identity? We look to Jesus. If our identity is God’s alone to define, then we need to look at what, rather who, He has given us as the source of that identity. So, instead of taking my word for it, let’s take His.  

To lay the groundwork, let’s look at a passage in Ephesians.   

“Even before He made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in His eyes. God decided in advance to adopt us into His own family by bringing us to Himself through Jesus Christ. This is what He wanted to do, and it gave Him great pleasure.” (Ephesians 1:4-5 NLT) 

You are chosen and you have been since before the creation of the world. And this not because God had to, but because He wanted to. “It gave Him great pleasure.” You give God great pleasure. Let that sink in for a minute. 

 As you look at the other things God says of you as His son or daughter, you can do so with the assurance that what He says will never change. No matter what life throws at you, how messy things seem, or how many times we mess up, our identity in Jesus cannot be shaken, taken, changed, or destroyed.   

You are HIS – 1 John 3:1 

You are CHOSEN – 1 Peter 2:9 

You are a CHILD OF GOD – John 1:12 

You are KNOWN – Psalm 139 

You are HIS FRIEND – John 15:13-15 

You are a MASTERPIECE – Ephesians 2:10 

You are FORGIVEN – 1 John 1:9 

You are a NEW CREATION – 2 Corinthians 5:17 

You are LOVED FOREVER – Romans 8:31-39 

You are STRONG – Isaiah 40:31 

You are CREATED WITH A PURPOSE – Jeremiah 29:11-13  

I know that it can seem easy to read these but still think, that’s for everyone else but me. I know because that was me. That was me as a kid. That was me as a teenager. That was me as an adult. Until I allowed God the freedom to bring about a breakthrough, I 100% believed it true of everyone, except for me. While it’s not for this space and I definitely do not have all the answers, I would love to share more about how God has and continues to bring about the freedom that comes through knowing my true identity. Feel free to reach out.     

 As you head into the new year, remember that your identity is God’s alone to define. You are fiercely loved by your creator. God chose you and He will continue to choose you. You are His. 

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