Make or BreakSample

Who you are is so much deeper than what's going on around you.

If you think about it, the statement “You Matter” doesn't actually have as much to do with you as you would think. 

Your identity is sealed deep within you. For example, if you think about sickness, the sickness is in your blood.

No matter what clothes you put on, no matter how much deodorant you put on, it doesn’t change what’s happening on the inside. And sometimes we can find ourselves living like that. We focus on the outward appearance of our lives to determine who we are on the inside. 

That’s not to say that the things on the outside aren’t important. They are. If we were to go out in public dressed poorly, with a bad attitude, and in a poor mental state, that is a reflection of what’s happening on the inside. 

What happens when we have this around the wrong way is that we choose to place our foundation on the sand instead of on the solid rock. And if the foundation for our identity is changeable, we’re setting ourselves up for a world of pain. 

You’ve heard the quote: "Live by the sword, die by the sword.” It means that the one thing you rely on can also be the thing that can destroy you! For example, we all feel happy sometimes when somebody compliments the way you look; we get that rush of endorphins in our brains. But maybe you hear a rumor about that friend, or someone says something that hurts you, and just as easily, if not more so, our feelings of joy and happiness can quickly change into sadness, hurt, or confusion. Our emotions give us so much! But they are super unreliable. 

Having emotions based on our emotions sounds like a good idea, but practically it would never work. It’s like saying: 

“I’m confident BECAUSE I'M WINNING.”
“I’m loved BECAUSE MY FRIENDS ARE AROUND ME.”
“I’m passionate about Jesus BECAUSE I AM SEEING MIRACLES.” 

The foundation is sandy, and all it takes is one wave of emotion for it to come crashing down. Then you will be saying things like: 

“I’m anxious BECAUSE I AM FAILING.”
“I’m despised BECAUSE MY FRIENDS SEEM OFF TODAY.”
“I’m losing my faith in Jesus BECAUSE I HAVEN'T ‘FELT’ HIM LATELY.” 

Our identity is not self-perpetuating. If you’ve struggled at times to find value in your life, you need to look a little deeper. What if we could live our life without worrying about what others say about us, without worrying about how we feel or whatever is going on around us. We need to find a foundation that doesn’t shift. 

A firm foundation doesn’t mean that times are always going to be easy. There is still going to be rain and earthquakes that can shake the house, but the foundation will always keep standing.