Identity Crisis: 12/27-01/02 (Moses 1; Abraham 3)

You can be anything you want. That’s what they tell me anyway. In an endless buffet of identities to choose from, just pick one. Or two or three or five. You can change at any time.

Fill in the blank. I identify as________.

Perhaps you went with gender.

Or perhaps skin color - black, white, brown, or anywhere in between.

You could have gone with race. Asian, Hispanic, African, American, Polynesian, the list could go on.

You choose.

Maybe you went with a less physical description.

Harry Potter nerd (then followed it up with your house)

Marvel Nerd (or DC, I won't judge here)

Tech Geek

Jock

Sports fanatic

Or maybe politics is your thing?

Democrat

Republican

Libertarian

Leftist

Rightist

Or again, anywhere in between.

Maybe you like to combine them.

You are a straight-brown-female- tech geek- Gryffindor.

Or a marvel nerd- hufflepuff - asian - Chicago bulls fan.

You get the idea.

You can be anything you want to be. But pick wisely. What you choose will largely determine what you become. And the amount of suffering or meaning you get out of life.

I read a quote recently that said little boys will choose a favorite sports team in the 5th grade for no reason. Then spend the rest of their lives aggressively defending it for the same reason.

Maybe that’s true for a few things in our lives.

Whatever you feel your identity is, one thing is true - it matters. It matters a lot. It matters to you and to the other people around you. Every Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and TikTok profile is an attempt to identify ones self. To show who you are.

The problem is that these identities don't last. They can change as quickly as you can change the color of your shirt, delete a post or upload a picture. Each phase of your life brings new relationships, priorities and with it new identities to pick and choose from. And the world would have you forever obsessed with picking and choosing and defending.

Your Eternal Identity

Your eternal identity is different. It's something inherent. It doesn't change based on your mood or hair color. It's made up of two parts.

First: A knowledge of God. (Who he is and what is He like?)

Second: Your relationship to Him.

Your Eternal Identity is a combination of who you were, who you are, and who you will become in the future.

As you study, ask yourself what God reveals about Himself. What he reveals about your relationship to him and what that says about you.

Moses and Abraham are great examples of people going through an identity crisis. (Don't believe me? Go watch Prince of Egypt). Moses was an abandoned orphan raised by the family that enslaved his biological family which he then abandoned to join some nomads in the wilderness. You can't tell me he didn't have an identity crisis!

We will explore this dynamic and his complex relationship in the video. I invite you to read and ponder this personal application to you as well.

It Matters

The identity you choose for your life, and the ones you choose to embrace will affect the entire outcome of your life. It will affect your suffering and the way you find meaning in life. It will affect your priorities and how you care for yourself and others. And when you are on your deathbed, it will affect how you leave this life, and what you leave behind.

I invite you to ponder and pray about your identity, as well as your eternal identity and choose wisely.