Who am I? What am I doing? Where do I fit in? In high school, I wanted to be liked. I wanted to be in the “in” crowd. I even tried out for the football team. To this day, I have no idea how I made it, but I did. I got on the team. I was in.
But just a few weeks into the season, I broke a toe, which meant I was off the team. I walked around school limping on a wrapped foot, milking the situation for as much sympathy as I could. But that did not help. I’d lost my identity. I felt like a loser.
That’s how quickly our self-image can change when we base it on the circumstances of life. You may identify with your job, family, or lifestyle. You may gain your sense of self-worth by your income, title, or service in the church. You may be “in” something—in love, in the club, in the circle, in the group that’s the most popular. But you can be also be “out” very quickly.
If our sense of self is based on external evidences, then we have a lot to lose. Instead, our real selves can only be found when we are in Jesus Christ. Then we can realize our full potential, our highest hopes, and our best lives. In Christ alone can we find out who we really are made to be.
Written by Ron Benson
