Think back to your middle school years. So much of your day depended on your relationships. You worried about whom you would sit by on the bus because, in your mind, that indicated who you were as a person. Or you cared greatly about where you would sit during lunch. Or whose locker you would stand by during recess. The relationships were critical because your relationships defined you as a person.
Has much really changed since middle school? We still interpret our identity by our relationships. The context is different, but the reality is the same.
Who wants to hire me?
Who in the office wants to have lunch with me?
Who do I belong to?
To whom do I matter?
Who cares for me?
Who thinks of me at night?
Who wants to have me on their team?
Much of our identity is wrapped up in our relationships. Our relationships and our identity are inseparable. No wonder rejection is so painful. Our identity is threatened. We fear maybe we are not who we thought we were.
Whose are you?
Jesus declares you are His bride. He chose the highest expression of commitment between two people to express His commitment to you. Your identity is wrapped up in the reality of your relationship with Christ.
And because you are His, you are completely forgiven.
Adapted from Identity (2008, B&H Publishing Group)
