Identity

Today before work I had a very relaxing afternoon, tanning on my trampoline and listening to Hans Peter's lecture on my IPOD. God SPEAKS wonders through Hans Peter. When I heard him speak at my school in England I learned so much. The message I listened to today was about Identity. In this turbulent stage of teenager/young adult/adult-ness....real, true identity is MIA. Hans Peter identified ways we typically look for our identity:

1. through what other people think about us

2. through what we think other people think about us (that may or may not be true)

3. what we think about ourselves

4. what God thinks about us

What do you say when someone asks you, "Who are you?" maybe a response would be," I'm Hannah." or ," I'm a student at Redeemer University college." ....but that's NOT my actual identity. That's my name, and my occupation....but it's NOT what defines me, or what makes me, me! Hans Peter gave examples through his lecture to support what he was saying. Let's say you meet someone and they say," I'm Bob, and I have A.D.D" Because Bob has made that his identity, he lives his life with the perception that he has A.D.D....and lives up to his identity. What traits do people with A.D.D typically have? hyperness & distraction to tasks at hand. When someone bases their identity on having A.D.D, even if they DONT have it- they live like they do! It's the same for someone who is an alcoholic. "Oh, I'm an alcoholic...it's normal for me to drink excessively....it's a part of who I am...it's my identity." as much as someone may not want to be an alcoholic....by labeling themselves as one it impacts how they live and how they view themselves. It may even become an excuse for bad behavior.

Hans Peter went on to describe the one identity that will never fail us.....the identity of being a child of God. When we identity ourselves as being a son or daughter of Christ, we begin to live it out and it affects the way we live. What is appropriate and what isn't? It becomes less about living by rules and more about living the way a child of God should live....because we WANT to and identity ourselves in that way. Everyday we believe lies, telling us who we are and who we're not....why do we listen to them?! Why do we fear what man thinks of us SOO incredibly much??! Does it really matter? I'd much rather live my life knowing that I'm pleasing God by what I do, than trying to be the person I think people want me to be. There's freedom in identifying yourself as a child of God. Freedom to get rid of labels and perceptions that others have falsely placed on us. Try it out. Stop labelling yourself as a "partier" or a "great" christian" or a "Baptist" or a "Lutheran" or a "person with depression".... instead tell yourself, " I am a child of God!" ....in the long run that is really all that matters anyways.