Role vs. Identity

I had a thought the other day...well, I have many thoughts, but this one I will share with you because it was one given to me by God...that makes it special and set apart from all of my other meandering thoughts.


God revealed to me that I have had things backwards my whole life so far...at least in understanding my identity and how that forms. I have up to this point been working hard to form an identity based on the roles I have in life. Roles like: mother, daughter, wife, counselor, teacher, VW bug driver, being creative, student, church go-er, Christ believer, etc...

What roles are coming to your mind? Roles in the home? Roles in the work place? Roles in your community, church, neighborhood, school? We all want to belong so badly that sometimes we use our roles to create an identity, one we hope others will accept.

But it goes the other way round...we are ALL born with an identity. A God-given identity. If you are a church go-er you hear about "your identity in Christ" being the most important identity you have. But what does that really mean? It is so vague to me. Is it vague to you? Maybe not. I might have just missed the boat that you caught way before me. But if you are confused like me, hang on. We are in for a great ride.

I have worked so hard to create roles, ones that would be seen as important in the eyes of others I love and respect, even in God's eyes. I thought I had to become something to be acceptable in His eyes...He did form me for a purpose and gosh darn it, I was going to complete that purpose!

But what He revealed to me the other day in prayer is that I am born with and identity, one God himself created for just for me. I don't have to work to create one, I get to uncover what I have buried in my haste to make my own.

I LOVE gifts. I wish I could have a birthday at least 4 times a year. I just love opening a present someone has given to me. I feel loved in a special way when I am given a gift. God has given me a precious gift at this time in my life. When chronic illness hit, my roles as I knew them and "built" them were stripped away. This led to intense insecurity. But now I get it. God saw me working so hard and wanted me to stop. I was doing things backward and getting nowhere.

If we seek our identity in Him, our Father, Abba, creator and savior our roles will naturally come as a result. No hard work, no digging ruts, no trying to be accepted, because we just ARE.

What peace can come when I settle into the Lord. If you are going through an identity crisis, maybe you have it backwards like me. Stop creating roles and start finding your God given identity. It is funny. I have no idea who is reading my blog, but I feel a love for you and a desire to be vulnerable so that you may do so too.

Join me on this new ride...one in which our identity comes first...our roles in this world will naturally follow.