I am convinced that one of the most common struggles we face as humans is our struggle to find identity. We pursue careers, relationships, or anything else that we think can validate us to each other and to ourselves. For those who are apart from Christ, this search for validation should be expected, right? If you have not felt the peace found in an identity in Christ as a child of God, then you will naturally search for other things to provide identity and validation. Sadly though, as believers, I believe that we too are experiencing this struggle. I call it identity drift.
Identity drift is this: We who are in Christ, who have been transformed, given new eyes, given new hope, and given new identity in Him, begin to measure our value as though we were an unbeliever. We measure ourselves through our job, our wealth, our relationships, our family, our status, or even our ministry. We begin to seek validation outside of Christ, and this search leads us to an identity drift.
So here is the question; As a believer, do you measure success or value the same way you did before you came to know Christ? If your answer is yes, I believe that you are in the midst of an identity drift or maybe even a full-fledged identity crisis.
Paul says in 2 Corinthians 5:17, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” (ESV)
Identity drift is corrected and cured through the continual self-proclamation of the gospel. To say it simply; Identity drift is corrected by continually reminding yourself who you are! There is no greater strength than that which is found in our identity as a child of God. If everything fails, He will not. If you lose your job, He has not left you. If you face financial ruin, you have all you need in Him. If you fail, He has not. Regardless of the situation, nothing can separate you from your identity in Christ! (Romans 8:31-39)
If we grasped our identity as a child of God in Christ, I believe that it would change the way we live our lives.