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In 2024, the word “identity” is somewhat of a buzzword. It has gone beyond just, “Who am I?” to something even more. But just because the word has grown, it doesn’t mean identity hasn’t been an issue for a very long time.
I know for me throughout my life, my identity has been tied up in many different things. This is one of the reasons the diagnosis of MS was so hard to hear. I mean, I was an athlete, I was a coach, and that had been a huge part of my identity for most of my life.
When that MS diagnosis came in, I was at a loss, floundering to fill the gap in my identity. It took some time and tears to remember that the Lord tells me what my identity is. I’m a child of the King, a friend to Jesus, accepted, redeemed, and blessed.
My identity has to be wrapped up in what God tells me I am, otherwise my identity is set up to just be an up and down mixture of thinking I know who I am, but having that identity affected by others and my own pitfalls.
Recently I came to the realization that just knowing God has said all these things about who you are really has no effect on your identity, and it was TikTok that led to the realization. Yes, God can even use TikTok.
If any of you have ever watched the show Duck Dynasty, you probably know who Sadie Robertson is and you may know that now, as a married adult, she tours, speaking at different Christian conferences. She often puts pieces of her talk on TikTok. God has blessed her so much and, through her, He sent a message to me.
I’ve included the YouTube link here so you can watch. This is a link to the full talk, so it is 30 minutes long, but I will give her highlights in case you don’t have time to watch the whole thing right now. Basically she said she grew up knowing God had said she was made in His image, beautifully and wonderfully made. But she still had anxiety, she still let others affect her, she still had body image issues, basically the same things many of us struggle with daily.
Then she said the thing that hit me between the eyes. If you don’t actually believe God, knowing those things makes absolutely no difference. We can confess God as our Lord and savior but not believe that His promises are really for us. We keep our identity wrapped up in our job, spouse, kids, friends, or numerous other things, which keep us from experiencing the freedom God really has for us. If we believe God, it will change us!
How freeing it is to know that your identity is intertwined with the loving Heavenly Father and not in those things that can be affected by outcomes from ourselves or others. If I was still trapped in the mindset that MS had destroyed who I was, I would be miserable and would make those around me miserable as well.
I know that the reminder that Sadie gave me through TikTok was really from the Lord. That conference she was speaking at was actually from 2022, but just happened to appear for me as I scrolled aimlessly. The Lord knew I had started to slip back into having my identity wrapped in something else. Satan loves to get us off our game and a messed up identity is a perfect way. We have to keep our identity rooted in the Lord by asking Him daily, and truly letting His will be done.
It’s not easy. The world will give you a 100 different identities to choose from, but I invite you to wrap your identity in Jesus day in and day out. Let it change who you are. Until next month…
