Who Am I?Намуна

“I pretend, ALL THE TIME. I pretend so much, I have no idea who I actually am.”

Tears streamed down her face as she spoke. We were sitting in my car, this beautiful young woman and me, talking about things that were pressing on her heart.

I recall offering advice that came off more feebly than I had hoped. I said, “Well, your identity is first and most importantly in Christ.”

She boldly looked me in the eyes and then looked out the window.

“Everyone says that, but what does that really mean, Ms. Carol? Yes, I know Jesus. I am a believer. But how does that help me know who I really am? How does it help me live?”

Ah! The honesty! The vulnerability! Oh, how I love ministering to teenagers and how this young lady got me thinking!

What does it mean that our identity is in Christ? What difference does it actually make?

1 Peter 2:9 says, “But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.”

The “we,” of course, refers to followers of the Lord Jesus Christ, those who have surrendered their lives to Christ.

We are a chosen generation. Think about the enormity of being chosen. Remember when you did not get picked to be on the team, get the role in the show, or get the job? Being rejected is hard.

But followers of Jesus are NOT rejected. Instead, we are chosen. We are the elect, the Bible says, chosen by God first.

Ephesians 1:4 says, “Just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love…”

1 Peter 2:9 also tells us we are royal, holy, and special. Imagine it? The God who created everything, who created royalty, holiness, and specialness, defines us as such.

Over the next few days, I want to explore this question, “Who Am I?” but I want to do it with this critical fact as our foundation: we are chosen by God, set apart, beloved, even before the beginning of the universe.

That is a firm foundation indeed.