Dear Family and Friends,

One of the duties of my past life was playing the game of golf. In my line of business, it was expected.

I enjoyed golfing, but to me it was just a game. Unlike one my colleagues who, quite honestly, I didn’t care to golf with. Why?

He was overly competitive. He would celebrate everyone’s bad shots and bemoan all their good ones.

If you’re thinking – oh, I would never do something like that – don’t be so quick…

Identity is often described as both a sense of self and a sense of worth.

Our sense of self is the core of how we identify ourselves; the unique set of characteristics we use to distinguish ourselves from others.

Our sense of worth refers to how we view ourselves as compared to others. We not only distinguish ourselves, we take what’s good and distinct about us, and lift it up.

We look at everyone else, especially those who don’t have our good traits, then say to ourselves, oh, we’re not like them.

And unlike my former colleague who celebrated outwardly, we do the same, albeit quietly.

And what’s tragic is that deep in our hearts, we spend our lifetimes chasing, molding and protecting our identity.

The effects of this quest are far reaching.

Our identity can easily morph into pride, or shame or even resentment of others.

Many, such as young adults, suffer from an identity crisis. 

And as we age, we go to great lengths to maintain our identity. Such as trying to live a lifestyle that’s beyond our means.

I could go on but I suspect you get the picture – this identity thing is tiring.

Jesus offers us a solution. Do you recall this promise of a new beginning?

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!”  2 Corinthians‬ ‭5‬:‭17‬ ‭NIV‬‬

When we first learned this, hope was in the air. All the missteps of life were now gone.

But let me ask this: Do you feel like a new creation? Or is your transformation taking longer than expected.

Do you feel like all the work you’ve put into being a good Christian – reading the Bible, going to church weekly, meeting with your small group, praying – is not making you into a new person?

If you are still waiting on the promise of a new creation, allow me to ask a follow up question: How do you see yourself? How do you identify yourself?

Let me share a personal observation.

After I retired from my business profession, I continued to see myself as who I once was. I hung on to my old identity. And as I look back at those years, it stunted my spiritual growth.

It was only after I released my former title and old self, and redefined myself as who I truly was (a Christ follower), that I grew spiritually – exponentially.

One reason why we don’t change after embracing the Christian faith is because we continue to identify ourselves in worldly ways rather than the Jesus way.

We are hampering the Holy Spirit’s work. He cannot transform us into a person we don’t claim and believe to be.

And he cannot create us into a new self until we first put off our old self.

“You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.”  Ephesians 4:22-24 NIV

We will continue the discussion on seeing our new selves next time.

In love always,