Identity Thief

But Dravet Syndrome would not be the only theif in my life.  Let me tell you about my job as a group fitness instructor.  There was a time when I ate, slept, and breathed it.  I was an athlete growing up, but never the star.  I was always a little big and a lot slow.  Not usually a stand-out and not often receiving praise for my hard work.  And in all honesty, sometimes I worked hard and other times, I just did the bare minimum required.  So as an adult, when I discovered my love of group fitness, I gladly ran (literally) with it.  I relished my active body and defined muscles and often thought, “if my school coaches could see me now – voluntarily working out.”  Pride had taken over where insecurity had once been and I LOVED it.  I enjoyed telling people I was a fitness instructor and measured my worth by how many classes I taught and how many people occupied them.  And honestly, that was pretty fun for a season.  But then I hurt my back.  And then I broke my foot.  And then I gained weight.  And then I tore my ACL and meniscus and had surgery.  I’m still a fitness instructor, but I’m out on medical leave of absence.  And I don’t really LOOK like a fitness instructor anymore.  In fact, I may as well lay it all out here in the open for you –  right now, I’m a little embarrassed to tell others that’s what I do.  It’s no longer fun to have this identity.

I read a blog this week and saw this:

Woah!  Oh how it reminded me of how many times I have (and still do) see myself through the lens of something I’m doing or even something I am instead of whose I am.  The only identity that lasts, the only title that matters, is SON OR DAUGHTER OF THE KING.  John 1:12 tells us “Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God”.  When we believe in Him and want to share our lives with Him, the Creator of the universe adopts us as HIs own.  We become co-heirs with Jesus.  He says, “I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand.”  John 10:28  Did you hear that?  God holds you in his hand and nothing can remove you.  Like a supreme court justice – that’s a lifetime appointment.  A position you can’t be fired from.  Tenure.  And you will find so much more there.  More peace.  More security.  More love.  More fulfillment than you could ever imagine.  Where are you currently trying to find those things? If you aren’t sure, ask yourself, “What am I most proud of?”  or “What am I most wrapped up in?”  Are you a cheer mom?  A CEO?  A wife?  A PTA President?  A church staff member or ministry leader?  None of those are bad things.  But they should only be a small part of what makes you, you.  If you can’t honestly say that you find your identity in Christ, could you take a little time the next few days to read the Book of John in the Bible?  Don’t own one?  No problem.  You can look it up online.  Really read it and see what resonates.  See what questions it brings up.  And if you want to talk about it further, I would love to have you over for coffee.  I don’t have all the answers but we can explore together what it means to be a child of the King!