Who Are You? (Part 2)

The intriguing thing about identity is how tempting it can be to define who we are by all we have discussed and fail to consider the opinion of God, the architect of our souls. I wonder what His opinion is of who we are? More intriguing yet, if we were to compare our perception of our identity with His perspective of us, I wonder what enlightenment it might bring to life? Would it necessitate a paradigm shift from our definition of self to His?

Paul writes, “We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ. You are looking at things as they are outwardly” (2 Cor. 10:5 & 7a).

Do we dare ask God what He thinks of us?

If we do accept the dare to see through His perspective, we find that He calls us child, son, friend, lover, royalty, and bride. He considers us holy, redeemed, righteous, OK, set apart for Him, and filled with glory. According to Him, we are triumphant, victorious, warriors, saints, and citizens of heaven. We are the heir of His estate, the one sought after, the testimony of His grace. We are loved, liked, longed for, and when He thinks of us, we cause Him to leap for joy.

If you have satisfactorily defined your identity by the stamp of earthly success, finding motivation to redefine your identity—by any other standard—seems nonsensical. After all, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. But if you associate your identity with failure and rejection, listening to God’s perspective of you sounds too good to be true, and who needs to add delusion to an already faltering self-esteem?

Next: Why does God make the effort to tell us who we are?