Who Am I?
As a dance instructor for students of all ages, I have observed a few recurring struggles among teens: to define who they are, understand their sense of place, cultivate a feeling of belonging. I do not think this is new. I think it is timeless and universal. It is a core element of humankind’s search for meaning in our sin-broken world. The terminology, arguments, and definitions may change with cultural eras, but the root issue is the same. We want to be known, and in that knowing, to be accepted and not rejected. Here are four ways Christ meets this deep need.
Identity
Christ gives us a whole new understanding of who we are. When we come to Him humbly acknowledging our need, He makes us completely new. This is good news for broken, sinful people like you and me. The culture says find your true self. The gospel says your true self is found in Him. The world says assert your identity because you cannot change who you really are. The gospel says all are welcome to come and be changed from the inside out. The voices around us say “you are enough!” even when we know inside we are insufficient in so many ways. But Jesus says, come - I am enough for you. Let me give you a new identity: loved, chosen, child of God.
Acceptance
Christ gives us a belonging deeper than any other we experience in life. He pulls us in and holds us close. God meets us where we are, and we come to Him just as we are. We don’t clean ourselves up to come to Him; we come to Him to be washed clean. Our right-standing before God is blood-bought and paid for in full with no debt to owe. Understanding the freedom this brings allows us to celebrate when, by His grace, we do what is right. And when we fall, our failings press us deeper into His merciful embrace, not away from Him. Let us live as if we know that we are His.
Security
Christ gives us a safe haven in which to rest. Like a well-anchored ship that’s battered but holding fast within a storm, we are assured that nothing can tear us away from His hand. Following Christ is not safe in the way we tend to seek safety. Trials and persecution still come, perhaps even moreso because of the Name we bear. But Christ offers a richer security - an eternal one. Safe in the Father’s hand, we know the Spirit will enable us to persevere to the end, because our only hope in life and death is that we are not our own. All whom He has redeemed, purchased with His own blood, are His and His forever.
Purpose
Christ gives our lives meaning. We could chase our own dreams, sure. But we don’t know what tomorrow holds, much less where those plans will end up, or what may intervene and cause them to evaporate without warning. And yet, we do know the One who has declared the end from the beginning. He knows and sees and owns and gives all things. And He invites us to share in His one grand purpose - declaring His good news to a lost and dying world until the day He returns to make all things right. He will use the gifts and talents and personalities and intellects of His people to fulfill this grand work that He has promised to see to completion. What more could we ask? What better cause for which to live? Let us live with one singular task in view: to know Christ and to make Him known.
When we understand the ways in which Christ meets our need for Identity, Acceptance, Security, and Purpose, then our peace will not be fragile or temporary. An eternal perspective shapes our thinking, our reactions, and our emotions. We learn what it means to fear God and not man, because our deep sense of self is not as easily tossed by the waves of praise or criticism, attraction or disdain. We will inevitably forget these truths from time to time. In those moments, may we experience the grace of His Spirit reminding us once more - we are His.