The Power of Knowing Your Identity
Everywhere we go we are consonantly bombarded with the pressures of being perfect.
Weather it's to have the perfect body, career, or hair, it is extremely difficult to even know who we are and what we stand for as individuals if the people around us are constantly trying to define us.
What happened to just being unique and having flaws? What happened to being ourselves without caring about what other people may think?
God created us fearfully and wonderfully, but if we fail to see how God sees us then we won't be able to grasp our true identity. Living in a world where we are constantly being defined by our outer appearances has caused most of us to lose our true identities along the way.
There is nothing wrong with being popular, rich, talented, having lots of followers on instagram or having the most likes on a Facebook status. But, it becomes a problem when we allow these things to define us.
"Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth." -Colossians 3:2 (NKJV)
Placing our identity in temporary things leaves us feeling dry and empty. And, as a result, we eventually lose sight of the amazing life that God has mapped out for us that can only be fulfilled through Him.
"...we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal." -2 Corinthians 4:18 (NKJV)
You may be the most popular person with a great following, but what happens if your popularity plummets and people no longer admire you? Honestly, you would feel utterly destroyed if all of your self-worth and confidence are tied up in that popularity.
This also applies to appearances. Looks fade, because we will all grow old and not even botox will be able to inhibit this process.
My dear, your beauty is not found in the 100 likes that you received on a selfie you posted on Instagram. And, just because someone else received 100 more likes than you on her selfie doesn't make you ugly. Stop comparing yourself to someone else. Stop trying to change yourself to become like someone else. You are more than enough.
The Lord should be your only source of significance... not the world, things, or other people. Because you are already important to God.
The things of this world are not enough to build your identity on. Your true identity can only be found in Christ through humble submission to the calling that He has chosen for you.
When God called me to start my blog a couple of months ago, I was afraid of sticking out like a sore thumb. When I published my first blog post God showed me that in order for me to make a huge impact in people's lives I have to stand out, otherwise I would be disobeying God and denying my identity. My mission in life is to please God, even if this means that I have to stick out like a sore thumb.
Don't allow the number of followers you have on a social networking site define who you are. The world may tell you that the less followers or likes you have, the less significant you are but that is a lie. Your worth can only be seen by the precious blood that Christ poured out for you on the cross of Calvary. He died to show you how significant you are to Him.
"But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." -Romans 5:8 (NKJV)
Instead of focusing on who the world wants you to become, learn to focus on the identity that you have in Christ -- embrace it and let the world witness it.
If this means that you need to give yourself a break from social media in order to meditate on identity passages in the Bible and spend more time with God then do it.