Transformed by Christ: Life's Great Irony

I've had so much that I've wanted to write about these past few months, that I've been struggling to choose just one topic to dive into. As I began to concentrate on one thought, another would come to mind that I was eager to express, but as I focused more on each topic, I began to see a theme. I've always asked God to direct my mind and my fingers to write that which he wishes me to write and I think I've found His topic of choice for this post and those that will follow: A relationship with Christ transforms us.

I've described in detail my relationship with God and how it has deepened in my short life from loving the idea of God to falling madly in love with the living God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. That love more than any other is transformative and takes you as you are but does not leave you there. It's hard to encounter Christ truly and remain the same as before. Those baptized receive the ultimate change in identity. You are no longer a child of sin and of darkness but now a child of God. That goes for those walking with Christ from childhood and learning along the way and those that come to Him in adulthood. For I believe that you don't just have the the opportunity to choose Christ once, but you have the obligation and the great privilege of choosing Him daily. In that truth lies for me the answer to the question, "Who am I?" In the search for my own identity, I had to always remember what Christ teaches us about life's greatest irony: The more you lose pieces of yourself, the easier it becomes to find who you truly are. 

Deny yourself, take up your cross daily and follow Me

I remember when I was in a college class several years ago, and a professor asked all of us to identify our identities. He more or less asked us to describe who we are. As members of the class raised their hands and provided their answers, they were immediately shot down by our professor. One student responded, "I'm a mother and a student." The professor responded, "But that's not your identity, that describes your current role in life." Another student responded, "I'm a young white woman who wants to become a social worker." Our professor responded in much the same, "But that's not your identity, that's your race, gender, and future goals." Finally, a third student raised their hand, "I'm a good caring person who is a strong leader." A third student was shot down by the professor, "But that's not your identity, that describes your characteristics." All of us were left baffled; no more hands were raised. 

I feel that the professor was making a very strong point. There are a few ways to see identity. Most are subjective. You can identity yourself by your role as a father or mother, by goals, and by your greatest accomplishments, but what if we can go deeper with identity? What if identity could be that which directs your entire being, that which directs your role as a mother or father, your dreams, and your characteristics, that which transforms you from the inside out, and that which drives you and creates in you a better version of yourself? 

Identity can be a very dangerous topic especially for young teenagers. "I'm fat, I'm a troublemaker, or I'm dumb." Those are only false characteristics but if you allow them to go deep enough inside your heart, they can become your identity and can direct your entire life. For those those lost in their sin, your sin can become your identity. Your drive to satisfy your lust or your greed or to free yourself of your pain at the expense of others can become that which directs every action in your life. Thirdly, if you feel as I had that you are incapable or worthless or shameful, those feelings can become your identity and can prevent you from realizing your true identity and your true self. 

For those who follow Christ, the answer is clear, we are children of God, but do we live as children of God? Do we give in to our shame, do we indulge ourselves in our sinful passions, do we deny others in favor of our own selfish desires or do we choose to turn to God because of our identity as His beloved children and choose instead to confess and be free of our past failings, to deny ourselves our sinful natures, and seek to love others as Christ instructed in His greatest commandment? 

When I remember who I truly am, everything changes. With the many changes in my life, it is easy to lose myself in the stress and the responsibility. My identity can be solely that I am a father and a husband who works for a nonprofit as a program services manager, but again I need to look deeper. I can be the best father, the best husband, and the best manager only when I remember that I am first and foremost a child of God, a member of the bride of Christ, the Body of Christ. I make mistakes and sometimes, I go into work or I stay at home with my family forgetting who I truly am. I allow my frustration or my anger, or my pain, or my doubt, or my addictions, to become my identity. My own personal commitment is to remember that I am a child of God everyday and that I will allow God to transform me by looking back always on who I am. I will deny those parts of me that are not truly a part of who I am. They are merely a product of a fallen world. Even something that seems good, done for the wrong reasons can be bad. I love video games and they can either be used a tool to relax with my wife or a crutch to escape from reality. Helping others for my own personal gratification or because I expect something in return comes not from God but from man. For me, any part of me, anything I do, think, or feel that takes me away from my God does belong as a part of my life, it does not define me and it is not who I am. God alone defines me, and if I allow God alone to transform me, then nothing in this world can harm the true me.

Heavenly Father, I love you beyond all things, beyond anything this world can offer. You are my beloved God. Father, please help me to make You the center of my life, so that all I do may be a direct reflection of You. Transform me God. Help me to focus less on me and more on You. In all that I do in life, my sole primary identity is as Your beloved Child. You love me and You love my family. Nothing can touch me when I allow You to define me. I love You Lord now and always. Amen