What Identity Means

Sometimes we can feel like a collection of the labels we’ve accumulated over the years. We might choose some of these labels, while others are imposed on us by others.  

Many of these labels can leave us feeling as if we aren’t good enough. Perhaps you were considered the “smart one” while your sibling was considered the “athletic one.” Maybe you’re considered the “quiet one” in your friend group or “the weird one” at school. You might have been labeled as an “average employee” or “C-student.”  

We tend to collect labels that we don’t want. This can lead us to spend our lives attempting to recreate ourselves and rebuild our self-esteem. We try as hard as we can to influence the way that others perceive us, but somehow, we can’t get others to view us exactly as we’d like to be viewed.  

Why aren’t we good enough?  

Why can’t others see the hard work we put in behind the scenes? 

Why is it so challenging to accept every part of ourselves?  

Why do people constantly tell us to change?  

Why doesn’t anyone tell us we’re already good enough? And why is it so hard to believe we’re good enough?

Sometimes we start to believe these negative labels, and we try to “fix” whatever issues we see in ourselves or that others notice in us. We’re expected to meet society’s standards of what’s cool, attractive, and acceptable. If we fall short of that standard in any category of life, there’s always someone to remind us that we’re falling short.  

Sometimes we experience this through comparison. We’re left feeling unworthy because we’ve compared our lives to what we see around us or on social media. This comparison leads to a constant identity crisis.  

There is a universal search for identity in the heart of humanity. We want to be defined by our unique identity and the gifts we possess. We want a positive identity rather than the labels that society forces upon us. 

Christ offers us the opportunity to shed any of the negative labels we’ve picked up. No matter where we are in life, we’re already enough for God. 1 Peter 2:9-10 says:  

“. . . you are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light. Once you had no identity as a people; now you are God’s people. Once you received no mercy; now you have received God’s mercy.” 

God gives us a new identity the moment we accept Him into our lives. Not only does He offer us a new identity, but He offers us an identity that is uniquely ours. God doesn’t choose us at random. He intentionally created us to reflect His truth, goodness, and beauty in our unique way.  

When God says we’re His possession, He places us above any of the labels that other people have put on us. It is God who decides who we are, and He calls us to embrace the new identity that we obtain through Christ. We are chosen, we are royal (that is, kings and queens who share in God’s ruling over and care for creation), we are holy, and above all, we are His.  

Our new identity isn’t something we walk into alone. We embrace it together with millions of believers worldwide. We’re all part of a global Church, a united community connected through Christ, chosen to reflect His truth, goodness, and beauty. Together, as a diverse and unified body of Christ, we all shine our individual lights into the world. 

Our doubts and the negative labels from society don’t apply to us anymore. When we accept Christ as the truth and live according to God’s Word, His labels are the only ones that apply to us. Even when we make mistakes or fall short of expectations, God still loves us and accepts us unconditionally. Psalm 139:15-16 says: 

“You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion, as I was woven together in the dark of the womb. You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed.”  

This shows how God knew our needs before we were even born. He designed us with specific traits, characteristics, and gifts to shape an identity that reflects His perfect plan. God has already deemed us good enough, despite the negative labels we may have picked up over the years. Although we’ll never be perfect in this life, God’s truth, goodness, and beauty shine through our imperfections. He accepts us as we are and for who we are now and forever.  

Consider this: 

What labels have you been carrying that aren’t from God? Is it something that someone said to you years ago? Is it a name that you call yourself in moments of frustration? Is it a label that a parent or authority figure placed on you?  

It’s my prayer that God will remind you daily of who you are: chosen, royal, holy, and His own. In Christ, you are already enough.