Colossians 3:12-17

Identity can be a difficult thing to wrestle with. Many of us struggle to understand who we really are, and we look in a lot of different places that might give us the answer. We look to social media, to our culture, to the voices and words of other people, our talents and accomplishments, job titles and areas of study in school, our relationship status, and so much more. Some of these things can be good—it’s good to know what you enjoy, what you’re good at, and how you want to grow. We’re all uniquely created and gifted, and that’s a beautiful thing! But none of these things can answer the question of identity. None of these things are going to give you the right answer to the question “who I am?”

I tried to find my identity in a sport. Sounds silly now, but my fifteen-year-old self didn’t think that my sport was a small thing. Fifteen-year-old Andee thought the coolest thing about her was how fast she could run one lap around a track, and she couldn’t have been more wrong. Running has been a gift and something I’ve enjoyed since I was young, but it was never supposed to be my identity. I felt the crash and burn that came with displacing my identity, and it wasn’t pretty. You may think that was silly of young me… track is just a sport. But the reality is that many of us have something like this. Something that we feel makes us more valuable, more loveable, more admirable, and we cling to it. Something that may temporarily answer the question of identity. How exhausting!!! 

God’s Word gives us the true, eternal answer to the question of identity and teaches us what it means for our lives. Open your Bible to Colossians 3:12-17 <3 

Therefore, as God’s chosen ones, holy and dearly loved 

Identity: you are God’s chosen child. That’s the truth. You are deeply loved by God, who’s love never changes and doesn’t depend on your accomplishments. No other identity has power over your life. You have been wrapped up in the arms of the very One who created you through the power of Jesus. No more creating the perfect image, trying to be who everyone else says you should be, or trying to find your identity in anything else. Your identity is secure in Jesus, and that is where freedom is found. God has already named you and made you significant in His Kingdom. 

put on compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience, bearing with one another and forgiving one another if anyone has a grievance against another. Just as the Lord has forgiven you, so you are also to forgive. Above all, put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity. And let the peace of Christ, to which you were also called in one body, rule your hearts. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell richly among you, in all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another through psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts.

Being the people of God changes everything. In this new identity, Jesus lights up the path that we are called to live. Who we are directly impacts how we live. If we are children of God, let’s live like it! No longer do we shift with the changing winds, do what makes us feel empty and broken, live in isolation and selfishness, or strive to earn salvation. 2 Corinthians 5:17 says, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has passed away, and see, the new has come!” Gone with the old identities, idols, and empty ways of life. God calls us onward and upward, to live into the freedom that He so deeply wants us to experience. You don’t have to earn your identity in Christ—He did that work for you. We’re on a journey of becoming who we already are. 

As believers, we are people marked by love, kindness, humility, patience, compassion, and forgiveness, all as an outpouring of the love that Jesus has so generously poured out on us. You may read these and realize that you’re falling short… so am I. We all are. It’s a journey, and we aren’t left alone to our own strength. God is in us and with us, and we are transformed by His active presence in our lives. We live as children of God when we spend time dwelling in Scripture, giving constant gratitude to God, allowing Christ’s peace to rule our hearts, and encouraging one another. When our eyes and hearts are focused on Jesus Himself and we link arms together, growth takes place. Freedom from our struggles is ushered in. We are unified as children of the One true King, and nothing else that the world says has authority over our lives.

This passage of Scripture is an encouragement to all believers—to live into our identity as God’s chosen, holy, and dearly loved people. Remember whose you are, and live for Him wholeheartedly—holding tightly onto His Word.