Find your true identity

What is your identity? In our debates, we often divide identities into digital, sexual, religious and ethnic components. But what does identity actually mean? There are various ways in which you can find out more about your identity. You can attend seminars, read books or seek coaching. But at the center of this search is ultimately always the person around whom this question revolves: ME.

Your identity is multi-layered and encompasses much more than outward appearances such as your name or nationality. If you want to find an honest answer to the question of who you are and what defines you, you also need to take a look at your inner life. Developmental psychology talks about "finding clarity about a value system", i.e. developing a compass that provides guidance on how to live the "right" way.

Some people search for this compass all their lives in vain, but there is one person in the Bible who was convinced that he had found it: Saul. Before he changed his name to Paul, he belonged to an elite Jewish group, the Pharisees. He had a prestigious position within the Jewish community and was one of the fiercest opponents of the Christians. His declared aim was to have the followers of Jesus arrested or even killed.

But then an encounter with Jesus in the street changed everything. Saul did not recognize Jesus, so he asked him: "Who are you, Lord?" Jesus replied: "I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting" (cf. Acts 9:5). Through his encounter with Jesus, Saul found his true identity in Jesus. This changed his life dramatically and the Pharisee Saul, who persecuted Christians, became the apostle Paul, a pioneer for many churches and conversions.

The Bible encourages you to seek your identity in your encounter with Jesus. You are a child of God, your father has written his values in your heart. Nevertheless, we need Jesus as our compass to show us what is right and what is wrong. When we take on this identity as a daughter or son of God, we also take on our position in the body of Christ. We are no longer a single person, but a part of a church and if we remain firmly rooted in this value system, we also find out more and more each day about who we are and how Jesus sees us.

Next Step: Just ask Jesus in prayer who you are in him and let him surprise you with his answer.