What is your identity?

Last night I had two very unique opportunities: I attended my 10 yr high school reunion and helped be a leader at a girls lock in where 40 girls ages 8-16 were in attendance. It was funny having those two experiences in one night because it really just kept reiterating what God's been teaching me about identity, that thing that defines who you are.

At my reunion, it was definitely still A LOT like high school. Everyone was in their own groups... you know the usual clicks that seem to define us in high school: the popular kids, the band kids, the jocks, the loaners, etc... Going to the lock-in, I saw a lot of the same thing.

It doesn't matter if you're 8, 28, or 78 we tend to allow what we do, our hobbies, our friends, families, appearance or significant others define us. The problem is that when things change, our worlds get rocked, we loose those people, etc... we don't know who we are anymore. I've come to realize that my identity was that I was a missionary. It was my everything, it defined me. That can be a good thing in some ways but now that I've lost that part of me at least for a season, I've felt lost. But God has been showing me that my identity is more than what I do... my identity needs to, wait, HAS TO be in Him. His love, grace, and holiness should be what consumes me no matter where I'm at, who I'm with, or what I'm doing. I wish I had learned that lesson long ago as I wouldn't have felt so lost but I praise Him that He's starting to help me understand that now.

My question for you is, what is your identity? Examine your life and think "if that person left" "if I got laid off" "if that gets taken away from me" where would you be? I encourage you to find your identity in the One who will never leave you, the One who's love is truly conditional, the One who doesn't judge you based on your interests or appearance, the One who died because YOU are His everything.