Identity CrisisSample

  

Your Identity is Not in Your Condition 

The world’s way of identifying people is contrary to how God identifies his children. Many people identify others based on their location, profession, accomplishments, mistakes, condition, and associations. Although these are valid indicators when describing someone’s external makeup it’s not a true representation of what God’s word says about the internal identity of His child.

For example, someone could’ve experienced divorce and now the world identifies them as “the divorced person.”

Someone could’ve become a parent at a young age and now the world identifies them as “the teenage parent.”

Someone could’ve experienced a troubling childhood and since no one understands them they are labeled as “the trouble maker.” Or someone could’ve experienced a sickness, disease, or health concern that the world identifies them as “the sick one”, “the hopeless one”, “the deaf one”, “the blind one”.

Being identified by an isolated condition is a false representation of who a person is in totality. When a person is identified by an isolated condition they are often put in a box by others. This could potentially create an atmosphere where even the person with the condition lives in isolation, not wanting to disrupt the prescribed environment of despondency in which they were placed. But even if you are going through a condition that is hopeless and you can’t see your way out, it’s time to go against the labels people place on you and yell out your identity in Christ.

In scripture Bartimaeus had a condition: he was a blind beggar. His daily custom included sitting in his condition on the side of the road begging. One day Bartimaeus heard that Jesus was near and he started to shout “Jesus, have mercy on me!” Those around him sternly rebuked him and wanted him to keep quiet in his condition, but Bartimaeus went against his current condition to receive his identity in Christ. His identity was not in his condition. Scripture confirms that Bartimaeus kept shouting and this served as the catalyst for an identity transformation. Although Bartimaeus was blind he had insight knowing that his temporary identity crisis would be restored to vision and purpose. He immediately regained his sight when he invited Jesus into his condition.   

Remember, your conditions change, your identity in Christ doesn’t. People might identify you based on your condition but God identifies you based on His Word.