Stop Trying—Receive Your Real IdentitySample

Day 3—Weak Identity

Saul spent a lifetime trying hard to build a strong identity. He was an extremely accomplished, fiercely devoted Pharisee—a top-performer by every 1st century Jewish metric. He was rock solid in self-confidence. In spite of all his hard work, his identity was weak and flawed. 

Saul was defined, in part, by the religious expectations of others, but also by his personal zeal and achievement. Identity construction works the same today. Traditional Identity says, “Others define me”—we seek identity by living up to the standards and expectations of others. Resisting the flaws of this model, Modern Identity responds from within, “No, I define me”—we self-liberate from others’ systems and opinions to strive for our own dreams and personal desires. 

The question remains: Do we find our strongest identity in others (community) or in self (individuality)? Do we look outward for others to define us or inward to construct our own definitions? These two fragile options create tension in our souls—am I “who others say I am?” or am I “who I want to be?” Either way, we labor under the burden of achieving the identity model we choose, while also subtly mitigating the fear of losing it or failing. 

Both identity models are complex, flawed, and insufficient. Both require exhausting hard work and can only give us a fragile identity—built on conditional love and performance. The real question: “Is there a third alternative for identity?”

Saul’s fragile identity was smashed to bits the moment he met Jesus. He tells the story of this encounter in Acts 9, and shares the resulting “loss” in Philippians 3. When Jesus broke down Saul’s weak self, it was an act of love and grace. Saul needed to lose a weak, performance-based self in order to receive a strong, grace-based self.

Likewise, our losses merely show us the fragile places where we anchored our hearts or sought identity. Jesus meets us in the loss, exposes our weakness, and offers His grace. In Him we can receive the durable identity we long for.  

Scripture: Acts 9:1-9, Philippians 3:3-9