Reimagining Your Creative Life: A Five-Day YouVersion Plan by Sho Barakaনমুনা

Our Deepest Identity

The Christian message that I was taught as a young man stressed sin and brokenness. The point was clear—humanity had sinned, and Jesus was acting to redeem. A true story! But not the whole story. I realized that a gospel story that begins in the New Testament makes our activity the primary problem. But when I went back to Genesis? It was our identity that was the primary problem. And God saw that our deepest identity was good. 

In Matthew 19, Jesus was approached by a rich young ruler who had a question about eternal life. The rich young ruler believed that his pious faithfulness, his performance, should grant him entrance into the kingdom. From the outside, his story seemed to be right on track.

But Jesus saw through this man’s righteous activity into his heart. And the narrative there was different. Jesus gave him a command that would challenge everything he identified with. Jesus told the rich young ruler, “If you want to be complete, go and sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me” (Matthew 19:21).

The man left distraught. Why? His story had been shaken. He was unwilling to abandon whatever narrative he had constructed about himself to follow after Jesus. No matter how good-natured or wealthy he was, Jesus had implied that his identity was incomplete.

Our creative life isn’t just about what we do. It’s about who we are. I believe the gospel isn’t just a redemption of our activity; it is ultimately a redemption of our identity. 

I no longer see the gospel as a weapon that forces people to confess their moral criminality. I see the gospel as a portrait—a picture of God’s own image that offers a return to our intended wholeness. Once we see a flawless portrait, we will see the deficiency in our own paintings. Then true confession will overflow because we see the deeper goodness that our sin holds us back from.

The question becomes, Will we be able to build with an honest vision of our deepest identity in God?

For our Creator saw that it was good.

In what ways is your creative life a reflection of your identity? In what ways is it a reflection of your skill and experience? What’s the difference?