“Be true to who you are”?
That title should really go on the list of blog posts I never thought I’d write.
I mean, really, it sounds quite a bit like the “believe in yourself, follow your heart, learn to love yourself” deception we hear all too often these days.
But God has something to say about who we are.
Identity in Christ
“I am the vine; you are the branches.
Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit,
for apart from me you can do nothing.”
John 15:5
It’s a popular verse, isn’t it? Many of us know it well.
Dear friends, let’s not allow the familiarity erase our wonder over the stunning beauty of a God who says to us, “You are.”
This God who says, “For you are all children of light, children of the day” (1 Thessalonians 5:5).
And, “You are light in the Lord” (Ephesians 5:8).
“You are the salt of the earth” and “you are the light of the world” (Matthew 5:13-14).
Can we just stop right now and thank Him for going so far beyond the saving of our souls, delighting instead to make us into a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17)? And how kind of Him to remind us of it so often in His Word!
He doesn’t just want us to act like a branch. Act like light. Act like salt. He died a cruel death on a rugged cross so we could be.
And that’s the difference between a Christ-following philosophy and a modern-culture philosophy: who we are has nothing to do with us. It has everything to do with Him.
And what is our right response? How can we be true to who we are? How can we bring honor to the One who made us who we are?
You are a branch, so abide in the Vine.
You are light in the Lord, so walk as a child of the Light.
You are a child of the light, so live life in a way that is alert and intentional (I Thessalonians 5:6).
You are the salt of the earth, so flavor your spot on this planet deliciously, and instill in those around you a thirst for living water.
You are the light of the world, so let your light shine that others may see your good works and glorify your Father (Matthew 5:16).
How much closer we would be to our God…
how much stronger our testimony…
how much hotter our zeal…
how much we would cease struggling and striving and straining…
if we would just be who we are.
Beautiful words to live by…
Hello, Pamela! God’s Word contains stunningly beautiful truths contained in one and two-syllable words that we overlook all the time. May He open our eyes to more of His beautiful words to live by! Thank you for reading, friend.
Found your blog through Pinterest. Very encouraging. I have been working on my foundation, as I have been fighting depression with many thoughts of “who do you think you are?!” running through my brain. But this is so helpful, thank you!
Welcome, Shekinah! I’m so glad you found me. 🙂 And I praise the Lord that He used this post to encourage you. One of our enemy’s most powerful tactics is to use our own insecurities against us, exploiting them by whispering lies into our ears. That’s why it’s so critical that we know the truth! We can’t recognize the lies until we’re first certain of the truth. God is so good to give us so much truth in His Word, isn’t He? I just took some time to pray for you, and I hope to have more interactions with you in the future!
I’ve been praying and asking for His help to become a better person and be able to show others reflection of Him thru my life. I have to say the last few weeks have been some of the hardest of my life. Emotionally I am really struggling. A few of my relationships with family members have become strained and I am having a hard time figuring out what I’ve done wrong. My peace I find in turning to reading His word where I know that He loves me always but at the same time I feel I really don’t know who I am anymore. I’ve always tried to be a loving and compassionate person while standing up for what is right but it seems lately I make a mess of relationships with the people closest to me without even trying. I’m still praying and still reading I ask you to please pray for me to find who He wants me to be. I feel so tired. But as hard as it is I don’t want to give up. I know That closeness to God and living a life with Him is worth it.
Stacey, thank you so much for reading, and for sharing part of your story with me. I will absolutely pray for you, asking the Lord to develop a strong sense of your identity as a Christ-follower, and to grant you wisdom for your relationships. It can be hard to navigate the waters of relationship in this broken world. We’re all broken people by nature, after all. But you’re wise to realize that the anchor to which you must cling is your relationship with your Savior. May He grant you His peace as you trust in Him!
“He doesn’t just want us to act like a branch. Act like light. Act like salt. He died a cruel death on a rugged cross so we could be.” This is absolutely beautiful. Thank you for reminding us that we have a responsibility, and that it is only because of Christ’s death that we get to JOY of having this responsibility. Love your words. 🙂
Thank you, Alison. 🙂 I’m glad this post encouraged you. Realizing who we are in Christ is tremendously powerful – I don’t think I’ll ever fully comprehend it on this side of heaven, but the attempt is surely worthwhile! Thanks for taking the time to leave this kind word.