Our problems can be banished, and we can be open to new possibilities, if we can get in our head who we really are. 

I see it every day: people burdened under the weight of a false identity.

• the man who had been told by his father that he was useless.
• the girl who suffered betrayal from a friend who said bad things about her behind her back.
• the caretaker worn out by the complaints of an unappreciative loved one.
• the middle aged professional being told that her best years were behind her.

These false identities are foisted upon us by others.  We latch onto them in our hearts. We let other people write our scripts and tell us our lines.  Before long, we feel like we’re set pieces in someone else’s drama, cogs in someone else’s machine.  We lose touch with ourselves.

And when we’ve lost touch, a whole host of other troubles come along: depression, anxiety, bitterness, wrath, and the like.  As we nurse these feelings, they blossom into addictions, cruelty, isolation, and destruction.

But these feelings can be banished before they bear their bitter harvest.  We can combat them from within.  It may not happen in a moment, but it can happen.

Change who you listen to.  Change who tells you about your identity.  Pay heed to a better scriptwriter of your life:  Jesus Christ.  Christ calls to you, telling you of your true identity:

• You are not useless, you are crowned with glory and honor (Psalm 8:5)
• You are not a weak failure, you are an oak of righteousness (Psalm 61:3)
• You are not a wreck, you are a temple of the Holy Spirit (I Corinthians 6:19)
• You are not abandoned, you are an adopted and beloved child of God (Galatians 3:26)

Do you know who you are?  You are a beloved, cherished, adored child of God.

Sit with that for a while each day.

Take five minutes at the start of the day and remind yourself of the truth that you are beloved. Be still and know that He is God.   And then know that you are His.  And know that your identity as Christ’s beloved is more significant than anyone else’s opinion.

When that inner voice starts whispering it’s accusations of failure and frustration, repeat to yourself the words of scripture: “Therefore, there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1).  Keep going back to God’s word to learn your identity and get it cemented in your head.

For God says you are His beloved.

Now go out there and remind someone else that they are beloved, too.

RS