CHURCH GIRLSýnishorn

A Gospel Vision for Identity

Having a gospel vision for our lives means we have a clear understanding of our identity. As you know, everyone has an opinion about the Black woman—who we are, what we can do, where our place is, what we should look like, and how we should show up or disappear in the world. We’ve been receiving messages about our identity from colonizers to culture, from men to mamas, to our own imaginations. Some helpful, but many damaging.

So let me give you the honor of asking you directly: How do you describe your identity as a Black woman? Most importantly, where did you get your answer?

Our identity is the foundation of who we are, and it has a direct impact on how we think, feel, and choose to live. Christ is the ultimate unifier of all Christians, and as believers we are first disciples of Christ (Ephesians 4:5–13). But God made each one of us unique and that uniqueness provides an opportunity to show off something special about God. As we read in Isaiah 43:7: “…everyone who bears my name and is created for my glory. I have formed them; indeed, I have made them.”

Understanding our identity is to know that our Blackness and woman-ness matters to God. We have been implicitly, and at times, explicitly taught to funnel our existence and experiences through “whiteness” being normative. We’ve often had to translate the Christian experience for ourselves through books not written by us, to us, or about us. It doesn’t mean those Christian teachings, principles, or practices weren’t biblical truth, or even that it was done with malicious intent, but the testimony for many Black women is that church life hasn’t always been contextualized so Black women feel seen, known, valued, and loved.

But this is truth:God made the Black woman. God died for you, redeemed you, and endowed you with power and purpose. God gave you an identity that only God could give, and you are called to show off the glory of Christ by showing up in life fully as a Black woman.

Church Girl, we are just as much blessed and highly favored among women as anyone else in the body of Christ. It is our honorable task to humbly and passionately celebrate our identity that dignifies us and glorifies God.

Who or what has most shaped your identity as a Black Christian woman?