Is this my identity?

This is the building I worked in for almost 28 years. I not only worked standard business hours, but due to my responsibilities, I also attended many evening meetings and it wasn’t unusual to go in for a few hours on weekends.

Spending that much time over that many years in one place of employment can cause several things to happen.

For me, I got very comfortable there. I knew when the lights would go out in the evenings, when the air conditioning would go into energy-save mode on the weekends and which rooms required a sweater. I left this job for a few years and when I returned, it actually felt like coming home.

I also learned a lot about how the city did its business. I knew how decisions were made, how projects were funded and what it took to bring about change. Even though I often felt like I didn’t have much influence, I understood why certain decisions were made.

Eventually, I began to identify with the building and what it represented. The building is called the Government Center. It’s where most of the City Council, County Commission and School Board meetings are held. Going in and out of the building for nearly thirty years meant I identified myself as public servant and engineer. You know the drill when you meet someone. What do you do? Where do you work?

We’re all faced with big questions in life. Where should I go to school? Where should I work? Should I marry? Who should I marry? We pray over these decisions. Some answers are clear, some not so much. God opens some doors and closes others.

At the end of the day, we look back on the life we’ve lived, whether many years or few, and declare, “I am…”.

I am the graduate of so-and-so school. I am the spouse of this person. I am the employee of that company.

In many cases, those are things we do, places we go, and relationships we have. And, all of that can be and hopefully is, a wonderful part of our life.

The question I ask myself is, “Is that who I am?”

“See how great a love the Father has bestowed on us, that we would be called children of God; and such we are.” (John 3:1, New American Standard Bible)

This is but one of the many verses letting us know who we are in Christ. My posts aren’t intended to provide an exhaustive theological discourse on any topic. They are primarily meant to share hope to someone who may need it, remind me of the hope I have in Jesus, and keep me writing.

But, this verse tells me a lot about who I am. I am forever someone’s child. And, as a child of God, I am loved. Because of this wonderful relationship I have hope of enjoying the benefits of being His heir for eternity. And I get to return His love by doing His will in my life—many of them involving the things in which I’ve placed my identity. How cool is that?

I want to encourage you. You may be at the height of some of the things I’ve mentioned. Or, you may be in the depths of those things. No matter what, after the school, after the job, after the marriage and family—you can forever count on being a child of God, by grace, through faith, in Christ.

How do you identify with things in life? I’d love to hear about it.