SPECIAL  

Establishing Your Identity: The Me I Was Made to Be 

“Make a careful exploration of who you are and the work you have been given, and then sink yourself into that. Don’t be impressed with yourself. Don’t compare yourself with others. Each of you must take responsibility for doing the creative best you can with your own life.” Galatians 6:4-5 (Message)

Why Me?

“Like Mike” was a common phrase used back in the 1990′s in reference to basketball fans admiration for Michael Jordan. It became a slogan used by Nike shoes and even became the subject of a movie titled, “Like Mike” in 2002 featuring the rapper Lil’ Bow Wow. Why wouldn’t you want to be like him?    Michael Jordan had it all–fame, wealth, success. The standards by which we grade our identity today. Our society is obsessed with conformity. From TV ads, to magazines, to celebrity look-a-likes we want to be like someone else. They tell us you’ve got to be like LeBron James, Miley Cyrus, Kim Kardashian, Tom Brady; look like a certain supermodel, or sing like the latest American Idol winner. This train of thought has trickled into all aspects of society from the food to eat, to the clothes we wear, to the technological gadgets we carry around. Being you just isn’t good enough; so we strive to find happiness by being someone else. 

Sadly, this kind of thinking has largely impacted the church as well. Instead of being unique and finding new, creative ways to approach being the hands and feet of Christ, churches now look at the big, booming churches. Success is measured by how many are in attendance or by how similar are worship programs and sermons are to what everyone else is doing. Conformity is now the big drawing card to which we reach for in America and it’s beginning to rear its ugly head. 

God designed you to be you. There is no one is history like you. Not before, not now, not in the pages of recorded history yet to be written. You are the only you! There’s a reason why God gave us all a one of a kind fingerprint that no one else has–to display how truly special you are in His eyes! Before we look into why we need to establish our identity, let’s go over the wrong approaches in grasping our identity in Christ and how our society views identity.

The Me I Pretend to Be 

When your life is over, God will not ask why you weren’t like Billy Graham, Mother Theresa, Kirk Cameron, Esther, C. S. Lewis, or King David. He will ask why you weren’t you. Pretending to be someone we’re not is hard work and leaves us frustrated, tired, and defeated. That’s why we feel tired after a job interview, a first date, in the accompany of a new friend, or on the first day of school when we feel like we need to project an image for someone else. You have to start being honest with yourself, God created you to be you and no one else. 

The Me I Think I Should Be 

The comparison game also is a wrong approach to our identity. Comparison is a killer to spiritual growth. We think we should be like someone else because they’re more successful, popular, and happy than we are. We’re at odds with what we think we should be with what God made us to be. As Henri Houwen wrote: “Spiritual greatness has nothing to do with being greater than others. It has everything to do with being as great as each of us can be.” Your false self is an illusion of misplaced pride, ego, and neediness. God made you to want his plan for your life not out of obligation! Comparison leads to either feeling prideful about what we have that others don’t, or shameful on what others have that we don’t–and neither does us any good. 

The Me They Want Me to Be 

Then there’s the person the people in your life want you to become. Everyone wants you to change: TV networks want you to watch more television, your boss wants you to be more productive, credit card companies want you to be more in debt, stores want your business, and restaurants want you to eat more of their food. Everybody has an agenda for you and has a specific role they want you to play. When we live to please others, we’re in bondage and freedom is impossible to obtain. You have to be willing to disappoint people sometimes; because nobody knows the true you except God. Even you can’t tell yourself how to fully become the person who were meant to be, because you didn’t create yourself. God knows what the best version of you looks like and is already working to make it happen in your life.

The Me I’m Afraid to Be  

Finally the fear of failure of becoming what we were meant hinders how we look at our identity. The failure to thrive instead of just survive paralyzes us to the core. The largest mental health problem of our day is not depression or anxiety–but a loss of hope and meaning. This is other known as languishing. It’s the absence of mental and emotional vitality. Our dreams over time fade away, we give up on growing and living our life’s purpose and lose our will to live. As St. Irenaeus said: “The glory of God is a human being fully alive; and to be alive consists in beholding God.“ Perhaps it’s time we stop relying on our own strength and power to become the person we were meant to be and instead turn to the one that knows best–God. 

In Grace is the Place 

So, why do we struggle so much in establishing our identity? It’s because we sometimes fail to remember who we belong to. The reason so many people barely cease to exist is because we have forgotten the one we belong to. As C.S. Lewis put it, “There is no neutral ground in the universe, every square inch, every split second is claimed by God and counterclaimed by Satan.” When we don’t trust God to use us from His purposes and accept that lie that He doesn’t want to use for His glory, it’ll leave us paralyzed to move forward. God wants to reclaim you and to do this we must recognize this astonishing fact—the God of the universe created you, loves you, and wants to claim you! It is when we come to realize and understand this, that we can begin to grasp what purpose and plan God has in store for us. 

The Masterpiece Of Me 

Your life is no accident, it is no fluke of nature, God thought of you long before time began. It was not luck, chance, or coincidence–it’s for His purpose and glory that you exist. Every natural talent, personality trait, and passion you possess was determined for a specific reason by God. As the Bible says: “For you created me in my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that fully well.” (Psalm 139:13, 14) God’s motive for creating you was His love. The reason for creating the world was because of you. Everything in the world was fine tuned just to make life on earth possible. God doesn’t just show love or possess love for you–He is love! Love is the essence of God’s character. God didn’t need to create you, He had perfect fellowship and love in the Trinity. But He wanted to make you in order to express His love. This is where our identity begins, knowing that God loves us and has a plan for our lives! “He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all he created.” (James 1:18)

You are a masterpiece created by the Grand Master of the universe whose attention to detail and interest in His creation far outweigh any artist you will ever meet. The Bible states, “For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so that we can do the good things He planned for us long ago.” (Ephesians 2:10, NLT). Self-help books say to look within to discover the life you were meant to live, but the key to this discovery is not looking within, but looking to God. Once you discover who you are, it is then you can discover what you were meant to do.  You are a masterpiece, a divine work of art, a treasure waiting to be discovered! This is the me you were made to be! 

Unwrapping Your Gifts: 

1) Which celebrity, sports figure, music artist, or actor/actress do you emulate? Why? 

2) Which false role of the four listed do you struggle with the most in defining your identity?  What factors to you believe shape this false view of yourself? 

3) Why is defining WHO we belong to so important? Are you currently living your life as if you belong to God?  

4) What are some of the ways that you resemble a masterpiece? Do you believe this truth right now? Why or why not? 

5) Spend time in prayer thanking God for creating you as an original masterpiece. Then ask Him to open your eyes to who you were meant to become and giving you the wisdom to begin to see this come in fruition in your life. 

Wrapping It Up: 

This entry concludes our introductory look at Establishing Your Identity. We will resume the SPECIAL ministry in mid-to late January with a much more in-depth look at our identity through the month of April. Much more features and content will be added as we move along. Have a wonderful and blessed Christmas and New Year’s holiday!

Establishing Your Identity: A Radiant Reflection

“The more we get what we now call “ourselves” out of the way and let Him take us over, the more truly ourselves we become.”  C. S. Lewis

Mirror of Our Fall 

When you look into the mirror each day, who do you see? Some see a failure who has been worn out by regrets of their life. Others see the years of life beginning to take its toll physically and emotionally. Perhaps you see a kid who’s scared of facing the demands and dangers this world brings. Or someone’s who’s lonely, depressed, or rejected. We all struggle at certain periods in our life with our self-identity. Some struggle more than others with their self-esteem. We see a shattered image of ourselves. Lost, confused, and broken. The question then becomes: Who should you see when you look into the mirror? Christ. 

It is when Christ begins to take over that we become who we were meant to become. The term Christian, literally means “little Christ.” We are to become a living representation of Christ while here on earth. Each day our aim needs to fall more in love with God and in the process being transformed into a new creation by being obedient and living in the center of His will. “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” (2 Corinthians 5:17)  We begin to take on the original design for humanity. Why is it then that we have such a hard time in coming to terms about who we are? It goes back to the voices we’re listening to. When we take a step back from the mirror, we encounter three viewpoints on how we base our identity: 

1) Who I say I am 

2) Who people say I am 

3) Who God says I am

Marks of the Maker 

More times than not, we discard God’s view of us and allow our own opinion along with the people around us to dictate our identity. As a result, we live defeated, misguided, and mediocre lives. Throughout Scripture we read on the many different privileges, packaged gifts, and promises God has given to us. Here is a some of the key marks we possess:  

You are a child of God. 

“But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name.” (John 1:12) 

You are accepted by Christ. 

“Therefore, accept one another, just as Christ also accepted us to the glory of God.” (Romans 15:7) 

You will not be condemned by God. 

“Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” (Romans 8:1)

You have been set free in Christ. 

“It was for freedom that Christ set us free; there keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery.” (Galatians 5:1) 

You are God’s workmanship created to produce good works. 

“For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.” (Ephesians 2:10) 

You are a citizen of Heaven.

“For our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ.” (Philippians 3:20) 

You have been raised up with Christ. 

“Therefore if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.” (Colossians 3:1) 

You are a new creation in Christ. 

“There is anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: the old has gone, the new is here!” (2 Corinthians 5:17) 

The Essentials of Our Existence 

Not only do we listen to the wrong voices of who we are, but we try and satisfy our basic needs outside of what we already have attained in Christ. These needs are as follows:  

1) Security in being loved and accepted (Belonging) 

We are incomplete without a sense of belonging. We want to belong to our family, friends, church, school, community, etc. The problem is that this need is met at best imperfectly and in some cases completely unmet. Wherever it may be: Rejection by our parents, peers, society because of our looks, skills, race, gender, social status, and so on. God’s answer to our desire to be unconditionally loved and belong is laid out in His plan to create a spiritual family that He can love and accept in eternal fellowship. “Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God’s people and members of God’s household,” (Ephesians 2:19) We are part of this family and as members of God’s family, our need for unconditional love is fully met. 

2) Significance and purpose that goes beyond ourselves (Behaving) 

They have the desire to feel self-worth and that life has purpose. We can’t stand to partake in things that have no meaning or personal significance! Through experiences of rejection of our who we are–we’re lead to try to find worth in owning the right things, wearing the right clothes, having the right friends, or having enough money. The basic need of personal significance and identification is fully met through God’s design of the spiritual body. We are that body, and Christ is the head. “And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way” (Ephesians 1:22-23) God did not save us according to our works “but according to His own purpose and grace which was granted us in Christ Jesus from all eternity.” (2 Timothy 1:9) When we join this family, we discover that we have individual parts to play and God has a special plan for each and every one of us.

3) Striving to make a difference, establish a life of lasting value (Being) 

This is conflicted with performance rejection and this leads to inadequacy. We then seek to validate our worth through achievement and performance. Thus, we seek to find personal worth through appearance, status, and talent. From this we fall into materialism, greed, aggression, and excessive competition. God desires to create a community of spiritual beings who will receive and reflect the likeness of God and glorify Him forever. The Holy Spirit has blessed every believer with spiritual gifts, and we have been given the time, opportunities, and abilities to accomplish His purposes for us. This is met by His plan to create a spiritual temple of living stones that are competent to serve and glorify Him. We are the temple, and Christ is the cornerstone. “As you come to him, the living Stone—rejected by men but chosen by God and precious to him— you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.” (1 Peter 2:4-5) As the living stones in God’s temple, our need for making a lasting difference is fully met. 

Die to Self, To Live Is Christ

Before we came to know Christ, we were enemies of God. Our minds, emotions, and wills were under the dominion of sin. Our eternal destination was not heaven, but hell. We were under condemnation because of our sin before God and had no hope of restoration. “Those controlled by the sinful nature cannot please God.” (Romans 8:8) Everything inside of us groaned and ached for a redemption, restoration, and resurrection.“We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time.” (Romans 8:22) Out of legalism we try to “do”, draw on our own resources, we produce out of guilt and condemnation, and this creates a life on bondage, duty, and obligation. 

Then we died to truly come alive. Alive in Christ. Our desires, wants, pursuits, and will were surrendered to Christ and He took control. We died to ourselves and accepted God’s gift of grace; we identified with Christ in his death, burial, and resurrection life. This is symbolized when we were baptized. The old life of sin, decay, selfishness, and legalism was buried and the new life of freedom, peace, fulfillment, and blessings took its place. Once we accepted God’s grace, we declared “It’s done”, this led us to draw upon God’s resources, produces a life of acceptance and security; and this creates freedom and victory which we once could not obtain by ourselves. “But now, by dying to what once bound us, we have been released from the law so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit, and not in the old way of the written code.” (Romans 7:6)  

We are a masterpiece. A divine work of art. An original painting that is rich in detail, depth, and devotion. There is no one else like you in all of history’s achieves. When it’s all said and done, only one opinion matters of who we are and it’s God’s. Once we become a new creation we are forever changed!  Our desires, decisions, drive, and destination slowly transform into something beautiful. The transformation isn’t instant and isn’t without setbacks and struggles. We need to constantly remind ourselves that all our needs for who we are and who we hope to be are found in Him. At the end of our lives, may on aim be for others to see Christ in us. “So all of us who have had that veil removed can see and reflect the glory of the Lord. And the Lord—who is the Spirit—makes us more and more like him as we are changed into his glorious image.” (2 Corinthians 3:18) Made into mirrors reflecting our Maker. A living testimony of truth in action. What a glorious sight to behold! 

Gifts for Growth: 

For a more in-depth lists on our identity in Christ visit: 

 http://crossinglouisville.com/sermon/our-identity-in-christ/ 

 http://www.persevering.org/perceiv.html 

Unwrapping Your Gifts: 

1) When you look into the mirror, who do you see? 

2) Whose voices have hindered your walk with Christ the most? Your own? Your Parents? Friends? Peers? 

3) Which basic need (Belonging, Behaving, Becoming) do you struggle with the most? Why do you believe this to be so?  

4) What changes have you noticed in your life since you died to yourself and accepted Christ? How has your attitude, behavior,  and worldview changed?  

 5) Thank God for your new identity found in Christ. Ask Him to help you form a better and more complete picture of who you are. Take time to reflect on how you can become more like Christ. Take the first steps towards a better, more complete you today! 

Wrapping It Up: 

This is the first of many entries on Establishing Your Identity. There will be one more entry on Choosing to Be Ourselves this weekend before we head into the holiday break. More features and content will be added when the SPECIAL ministry resumes in mid to late January.

Introduction

“What’s the purpose of my life?” is the most personal and perplexing question we’ll ever come across. There are some who casually ponder it and then watch it pass by. Others come to it during crises, seasons of doubt,  anxiety, and pain. And there are those who launch into a passionate pursuit to find the answer because of this persisting, yet demanding longing to know. To know that there is a reason for our existence. That our lives matters. That our destiny is far greater than what the status quo is. To know that we’re special.  As OS Guinness writes in his profound book titled The Call, 

“Deep in our hearts, we all want to find and fulfill a purpose bigger than ourselves. Only such a larger purpose can inspire us to heights we know we could never reach on our own. For each of use the real purpose is personal and passionate: To know what we are here to do, and why.” 

The truth is that our lives do matter. We all have a unique calling to fulfill. Each of us has a specific set of skills, abilities, personality traits, and experiences that are given to us by God. “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” (Ephesians 2:10) The reason why we can’t seem to make sense of life is because we don’t know who we are, why we’re here, and ultimately who our Creator meant is to be. That is why we see so many lives caught in confusion, chaos, and discontentment. As Henry David Thoreau stated:  ”Most men lead lives of quiet desperation and go to the grave with the song still in them.” This is why SPECIAL was founded. SPECIAL is a ministry created to help you discover who you are, why you’re here, and how to fulfill your calling in life.

SPECIAL, similar to the SHOUT IT , is a seven-letter acrostic. Instead of principles, SPECIAL is made up of seven areas that together form who we are. They are as follows: Spiritual Gifts, Personality, Experiences, Calling, Interests, Abilities, and Longings. Let’s go over each area individually get a better understanding of the pieces that make up the whole:

Spiritual Gifts are the God-given gifts that are graciously provided to us to share God’s love with others through the power of the Holy Spirit. Every believer in Christ has at least one spiritual gift.

Personality are the traits the help us navigate through life by relating to others and opportunities.

Experiences make up all the parts of our past, including the positive and painful. Putting together these experiences shape the individual you are today.

Calling is the core of SPECIAL and of our existence for that matter. Our calling is the answer to, “What is the purpose of my life?” and “Who Am I?”  It draws our design, defines our destiny, and determines our destination.  

Interests are simply the activities, hobbies,  and pursuits that you enjoy doing. What grabs your attention and your time. Your interests are in no way trivial, but help signify who you are and what you’re passionate about.

Abilities are the set of talents that God has given you to make an impact for Him and others.

Longings are the passions instilled deep inside each one of us to glorify God on earth. Our longings reveal our spiritual heartbeat to help further God’s kingdom. Our spiritual gifts, personality traits, experiences, calling, interests, and abilities together shape what these longings are.  

Along with seven areas that make up who we are, why we’re here, and what our calling is—there are seven objectives that correspond to SPECIAL. Let’s briefly look over each one individually:

Establish Your Identity to Engage

Who am I? Am I unique? Does God really love me? These and many other questions relating to our identity will be addressed in this ministry. Our identity is by far our most important asset. Without it, we can’t function correctly, work properly, or love others effectively. Also we’ll look at surrendering to God’s will and learning to trust Him with our lives.

Embrace Your Calling With Enthusiasm

As stated above, our calling is the core of our existence. Questions such as, “Why do I exist? “What the purpose of my life?”  are critical and need to be answered carefully and thoroughly, or we risk wasting our lives. This is the ultimate tragedy of the human condition. With SPECIAL we’ll examine our two callings in this life: Our primary and secondary. Also we’ll discover who the “caller” is and the proper way to look at our “calling.”

Enlarge Your Vision to Excellence

Vision determines your destination. It is the driving force behind all awe-inspiring dreams. It effects our attitudes and thoughts. Vision cannot be taken lightly. It is very important in the development of who we are and who we’re becoming. Why do we often fail to see our goals, ambitions, and dreams become reality? Lack of vision. Instead of settling for mediocrity and the average, we must set our sights on what is excellent and praiseworthy in God’s sight.

Express Your Gifts Effectively

Gifts are God’s specialty. In fact God Himself is a gift to us. We, too, are wired with many gifts that we can express through our personality traits, abilities, interests, spiritual gifts, and passions. We’ll discover how we can use them properly and put them to their highest potential. This objective makes up a large part of this ministry and there will be much time and effort spent in getting you to grasp what your gifts given to you actually are.

Examine Your Past to Exceed

Your past has a purpose even amidst the pain and the mundane. God uses every part of our life for His purposes and glory. Every failure, triumph, accomplishment, habit, thought, and action has significance and value. We’ll learn how to surrender our past over to God, learn from our failures, take joy in what God has done for us, and move on from our past to living to our fullest potential in the present tense.

Enrich Your Life to the Extraordinary

We were never meant to just survive and merely exist in this life. On the contrary we were made to thrive and live life to the fullest. (John 10:10) Through this ministry we’ll learn to be content with where you are while always striving for God’s best. To take risks that require faith. See wonder and glory in the everyday life you’re currently living. Experience joy  that only God had supply. For Christians, ordinary is not an option. Extraordinary is the essential element.

Enter Your Future with Eagerness

Leaving a lasting legacy is often viewed as unattainable; only for those special few who have power, popularity, or many possessions. But it is possible to create a legacy despite not having these things. We’ll learn how to do so, along with seeing the truth of why we need not fear our future. Instead we must approach what’s to come with excitement and eagerness. In Christ, we know that our best day has yet to come no matter what—it’s always in the future!  This is an amazing concept to grab hold of! And we’re discover its truth in time!

SPECIAL is more than just learning information about ourselves, our purpose, and who God is. Application is an essential part of this ministry. In order to get the most out of what you read, you must be willing to put the work and effort required as well. Answer the reflection questions, use the tools available, research often, pray and seek God continually, and then you’ll see incredible growth in your walk with Christ. It doesn’t matter if you’re 16 or 61 years old–it’s not too late to discover your purpose, your calling, and your destiny in this life. We’ll begin with the basics and then slowly but surely begin to grow together in discovering our SPECIAL. The first thing we’ll unwrap is our Identity that is found in Christ.  For more, check out the SPECIAL Blueprint. Note that it will be revised and updated shortly. Stay Tuned for the first entry of SPECIAL!