DL Foundation: Identity - Free to Be You

Last week, we talked about the identity we all share in Christ. We are friends of God, children that have been adopted by our heavenly Father, forgiven of our sins and made righteous so we are now saints, heirs to an eternal inheritance, and so much more!

This week, we want to pick up where we left off and talk about what it looks like for each of us to live out our identity in a way that is specific to us. This is a really cool part of our identity! Our identities are so intricate and specific. Think about how complex our physical bodies are- they’re crazy! Just as God formed and fashioned you before you were born, he spent just as much time crafting and creating your identity! There is a lot to learn about yourself!

Who God created you specifically to be can only be known by you; it is the unique way He has designed you to live those truths out. First, you were designed by Him to be able to do things others aren’t. Have you ever watched someone struggle to do something and thought to yourself, “What’s the problem here? This is so easy.” That’s because you were made to be able to do that thing and that other person wasn’t.

Note: For the sake of your humility, they have probably thought the same thing about you before when you struggled to do something they find easy. But, that’s the beauty of us being the Body - we are all different, serving different purposes and accomplishing different tasks. Our different gifts and talents are not meant to separate us, but to make us better together than we could be without each other.

Those little moments where you discover something you are naturally good at that most people around you aren’t, are meant to show you part of your created design. Those aren’t coincidences. You’re not “accidentally” good at math or english, communicating to large groups or relating to others one on one, or coming up with ideas or making ideas work that others come up with. All the ways you are unique are pieces to the puzzle of who you are, which will lead you to discover what you are meant to do. An important thing to remember: little moments like these don’t happen all the time! So if you’ve only had one or two, or you can’t think of a time when this has happened- don’t sweat it! It will happen!

Second, you were designed by Him to be able to do things for specific people that others aren’t. Have you ever thought to yourself, “I’m no different than anyone else. Nothing makes me unique. I just do what everyone else does”? Well, chances are that’s not true. You may not know how you’re unique yet, but you certainly are. Plus, that thought will keep you from doing what you’re made to do just because you think others were made to do it, too. But, here’s the key: they won’t do it for the same people you will. You have been given people in your circle of influence- no one can take that place of yours! You were designed to make an impact on people. I guarantee that you have the ability and opportunity to make an impact on people right where you are!

You have things inside of you that other people need. There are specific things that only you carry for those people. God could have very easily executed his plan of salvation and abundance on his own, but he didn’t! He invited us to be apart of the story. He invited us to minister to one another and give things to others that they would have not received otherwise. These things are a part of your identity. These are things you carry into a conversation or into a room; things that would be missing if you weren’t there.

Finally, you have been called by Him to do things others aren’t. Calling is another one of those words that gets thrown around a lot. There are a lot of different ways to think about and understand it. But at the heart of calling is God’s invitation for you to respond to what He’s made you able to do by being faithful. (That’s responsibility. Responding to your ability.) It is hearing Him speak to you, and then following Him in obedience.
 
I wanna end with a thought…

About seven years ago I was struggling to live out of who I was. I thought I knew who God created me to be and what He created me to do, but I wasn’t confident about it at all. One day, I listened to a sermon and the pastor said this: “Jealous Christians just don’t know who they are. You’d never want to be anyone else if you knew why you were alive.” To be honest, a bunch of cuss words went through my head. Then tears started to well up in my eyes. Both responses were because I knew that was me. I wasn’t confident being me, so I wanted to be someone else. But I can be someone else because I am me. Me is the only person I am capable of being.
 
You are the only person you are capable of being. And the best part is that should not be a discouraging thing. That idea isn’t about you resigning yourself to “just being you.” It is about you being set free to only have to be you and allow you to be fully you! There are people out there that need you to be you so they can experience who you are. Because when you are fully you, doing what you were created to do, you will help people more fully be who they are. You’ll help them know God, discover who they’ve been created to be themselves, and walk in freedom. That’s a pretty amazing thing. That’s what God’s called you to do. How you’ll do it will just depend on who you are.