Identity

A few years ago, there was a game show on TV called "Identity", or something like that. It involved the bigger, talking guy from Penn and Teller, and there was a big crowd of people and one person in the spotlight, and someone from the crowd's identity was eventually revealed. I never watched it, and it didn't last much more than a summer. But people watched it, and it had an interesting concept. But the tagline of the show, which the host would ask before each bit moment during the game, was "What is your... identity?"

What is your identity? It's such a loaded question because everyone knows what the word "identity" means. But its hard to define. It's infinitely more difficult to apply. I remember listening to a sermon years ago by Joe Stowell, and he spoke about this issue. He said that far too many people treat their identities as something they are doing, or associated with. For example, a doctor may say that his or her identity is as a doctor. So your identity may be your job. A college student may say that his or her identity is as a college student, or as being a part of a greek house or other association.

What happens when your job, or school status, or association, changes?

I just blogged about Michael Vick... what was his identity while he was out of football? Surely, he used to identify himself as "Michael Vick, NFL quarterback." When that was taken from him... he identified himself as, what? "Michael Vick, former NFL quarterback"? I think we can agree that it is sad to see someone phrase his or her identity as a "former" anything. It implies he or she never moved on, and in my opinion, never had a stable identity to begin with.

If you look up "identity" in the dictionary, you may see eight or nine definitions, all saying something like, "the condition of being oneself or itself, and not another". Kind of vague, huh? Basically, you being you. It being it. Me being me, or I being me, or I being I, oh who cares...

The very word identity doesn't have much of an identity itself! I requires elaboration from a much deeper source... you being you... but who are you? You have to get pretty deep to answer that question.

And that provides a huge challenge for people and usually causes an identity crisis for people. How many people treat their jobs as their identities, or their hobbies, or their status as married, single, Republican/Democrat, or take up an issue, like feminism or gay rights, or their skin color? I know people who most definitely would say their identity is "gay woman", "independent voter", "black man", "mother of two", "goth", "guitar player", "Lexus owner", "412 friends on Facebook!!", "vegan", "executive", or "Senator". What happens when these things change? Or if, as in the case of skin color, the depth of that identity is only, as one may say, "skin deep"?

I have a friend that certainly hasn't figured this issue out. Her self worth and identity is so tied up to what guy she's with... and this may change frequently! Her job pays well, has a nice place, drives a nice car, but the job is somewhat mundane, and the nightlife and guys provide the spark. She lives relationship to relationship, weekend to weekend, boring in between, drama when something is interrupted. It really is tough when your identity is tied up in other people, especially people who don't know you well. I still think it is not even sufficient to have your very identity tied to someone you are married to... unfortunately, that even changes 50% of the time, nowadays.

When the source of the identity crashes, the crisis begins. If you lose your job, your daily associations with those people fall, the success you had crumbles, your self-validation in doing something meaningful and being connected to something big on a daily basis, is gone in a flash.

I tend to think that categories can be pretty rigid, and most categories fail as sufficient identities. Family? Well, some people have strong families and identify themselves as "Smith" or "Jones". But other families are not so strong. And, like it or not, families will fail us sometimes, even strong ones. So is a family name sufficient? I don't think so.

Political issues? "I am a green friendly vegetarian!" Those are perfectly fine causes to take up, but should a socio-political cause become one's identity? I mention this example because we've all met very passionate people, who unfortunately get very worked up if you eat a chicken sandwich. It's as if you are doing wrong to them!! You are, if his or her very identity is as a green-friendly, animal-rights activist, vegetarian.

And folks who's identities are about how they look? Oh my goodness! They swing from vane to depressed to flattered to insulted to overinterpreted what someone said to freaked out that someone wore the same dress at the party, all in one night.

I could go on and on... but can I submit my opinion for what is the best, deepest, most stable, steadfast identity one could have?

Adopted child of God.

Not every Christ follower I know has truly let this sink in and become their identity, but for those who have, I see an unprecedented peace, and perfect balance between biblical humbleness and personal security. In Romans 11, Paul walks the Romans through a picture of Gentiles coming to faith in Jesus Christ as being wild olive branches grafted onto a nascent olive shoot by God himself, lovingly cultivated and welcomed in as part of the tree and sharing in the same nourishing sap as natural branches.

In Romans 8:15-16, Pauls tell us that we "received the Spirit of sonship. And by Him we cry, "Abba, Father." The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children." All through the New Testament, I see this duality of "we know God and are known by God," we chose God but God chose us, we loved God but God loved us first, we received Him but He adopted us... and I'm not talking in context of Calvinism or Arminianism here. This is simply the profound mystery of how God always desired us, and with great rejoice adopted us when we received His love.

It is a powerful thing to be the son or daughter of someone. But it is another thing, even more amazing, when adoption as a son or daughter occurs. The adopted one was wanted, desired, loved, cherished, long before that one really even knew the adoptor. It is a deep, profound, supernatural thing that I know will last forever, and creates the perfect, steadfast foundation for an identity as an adopted child of God through faith in Jesus Christ.

It gives me confidence in a way, but it is also profoundly humbling. Through this lens, we view the world, and see every issue we face, every victory and every trial, every twist of events, every friendship or relationship, in the context of the glory of Jesus Christ.

If you ask me what my very identity is... I am an adopted child of God.