Life can go by so quickly that we sometimes forget who we really are. We take all kinds of titles that we believe are important. Yet it is our identity in Christ that silences our worries.
When people introduce themselves, they often use some title to describe themselves. Among the preferred titles, there are the professional ones (doctor, professor, assistant), the social title (father, mother, husband, or wife), and in the Christian environment, the title of service (pastor, deacon, worship leader). While there is nothing wrong with these titles, which are indeed a good way to describe our activities, sometimes it is necessary to stop and remember our identity in Christ. It is what God says about us that can make a difference in the face of our challenges.
Faced with financial worries, for example, our professional title can sometimes help (to get a loan, for example), but since we can lose our job at any time, we cannot put all our trust in it. In front of a financial challenge, if we use our title of “child of God”, we know that our Father does not change and that His resources are not limited (Philippians 4:19). If we remember that we are first and foremost a child of God, worries will disappear and wisdom will arise. God does provide for His children, but He also gives His wisdom so that we don’t overspend and find the right opportunities. The title “child of God” comes with security and responsibility.
Faced with health problems, professional or social titles will not change much. But when we remember our identity in Christ, we have the strength to fight spiritually. God cannot get sick, so if we are children of God, we do not have to accept these sufferings. We must learn from these circumstances, and make the necessary changes, but not accept a diagnosis as final. After all, we are children of God.
In the same way, remembering our title as children of God can do us great good when our singleness weighs heavily on our souls. When we think of our faults, those who we believe are responsible for our condition, we can declare our identity in Christ. “I’m ugly, I’m fat, I’m poor…” are arguments that become irrelevant in front of “I’m a child of God”. Of course, we can work on our appearance, our health, and our finances, but when we remember that above all we are children of God, we remember that our Father wants the best for us. He is the God of the impossible, and His standards will keep us on the path to success.
When we realize that some dreams will not come true or we feel like we have lost everything, our identity in Christ remains our unfailing hope. “For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:38-39 NKJV). Do the exercise the next time you feel worried. Faced with your challenge, say aloud “I am a child of God”. You will see a whole new perspective come your way.