This started a couple weeks ago with God asking me the question, "Who are you?" and it brought me to a place of identity crisis. It made me realize that life's storms had caused me to lose touch with who I really am, and I had to find the answer for myself. So this is where I went from there...
Identity is
~your passions, desires, interests
~it is derived from a combination of your personality and the life experiences you’ve had. You feel impassioned about the things that have touched your life deeply and helped to shape who you are.
As Christians, our identity is found in Christ, but in order to find what it is that we are purposed to do, we have to go back to the rudimentary question: “What makes my heart race?”
I often find that the storms of life can take the wind out of my sails, and it is in those trying times that I HAVE to know what my purpose is with the surest of confidence, because I will abandon the purpose that I had set out to do at the first sign of resistance. My confidence shattered, I lose hope and find myself foundering; wondering what I was thinking.
With knowing your identity comes knowing your Savior. You cannot know yourself without seeking the face of the one who makes it His obsession to know the intricate details of you. Ps. 139:13-14
IF we do not find our identity, we fail to find our passion and fail to fulfill our purpose. A life of mediocrity is lived by those who are unable to pin down their passions and focus them in one direction. We are called to be a light and to season like salt. This is impossible without the confidence that comes from knowing the One who is Salt and Light.
Problems arise when we:
~ become distracted
~ don’t prioritize
~don’t have healthy boundaries
~lack confidence and conviction to carry out missions to completion
Distractions can come in so many forms: school, work, commitments, friends, excuses.
Setting priorities is key to your identity. The things that we make priorities are the things that will consume our time. Without setting those priorities, our time will be eaten away by whatever is convenient, and we will be without impact in our generation.
Having healthy boundaries means not being a “yes woman” to every opportunity. Saying yes to everything leaves us exhausted, burned out, bitter, and empty. It gives an easy disconnect from our source of strength and leaves us with no energy for the passion placed on the inside of us.
By not knowing who God says that we are, we leave an open door for defeat. When the enemy comes in like a flood, we must know with sure feet that we are on the path we are supposed to be. If we haven’t taken the time to set a clear purpose and dig deep to find our passions, the flood will quench our flame of passion, leaving our purpose unfulfilled - dooming us to mediocrity.
Daily, I have to commit to find my purpose, my passion, and my identity in Him who is the architect of every good thing.
