IDENTITY FORMATION
Reader, we've been going through a series called "The Blessed Life" at Hope City, and God has been using it to speak to me so much, not only about personal life but also about the purpose and heart behind my platform. Because this blog is a platform that God has given me to speak to you, dear Reader, and I desire to be a good steward of it and allow Him to use it for His purposes and glory!
Two weeks ago, as we were going through the sermon, Pastor Jeremy was talking about cars and the issues that come from finding yourself in your things. Then God impacted my heart with these words: "Transportation as Identity Formation".
As people, it is so easy to define ourselves and our status by our stuff. To begin forming our identity around what car we drive, what label we wear, what phone we carry. As a blogger, I find that temptation gets even stronger. "I wear Prada; I represent H&M; I carry Kate Spade". The danger comes in finding ourselves in our things.
Our things can, and should, help us express who we are! They are fun, functional, visible extensions of our personality. But they are not, and can not, be our identity. Our identity must be bound up in Christ, or we will never be satisfied, always be lacking, and never be or feel fully known.
Who I am is blessed, loved, redeemed, precious, purchased, worthy, beautiful, adored, desired, irreplaceable. I am those things through Christ and because He declares me to be so, and in order to be the fearless, faithful woman He calls me to be, I have to continue to find myself in Him and in those words.
I'm not beautiful because I wear Henri Bendel sunglasses, or worthy because I carry a Kate Spade bag. Those things help me express my beautiful personality, but they are not, and can not, be the source of my personality and identity. I hope this encourages you, Reader. Enjoy wearing your labels, but remember the only labels that count are spoken over you by the Father who loves you and the Son who gave everything He had to call you His.
