Where do I start? Many things have happened since the last
time I wrote. Some good, so okay. But
Like most people, I spent a good amount of time finding my
identity in my job. Not that my job ruled my life, but that my job was a major
part of what identified me. For men, it’s basically the only way we can sustain
a lasting conversation. I hate asking people what they do for a living even
though I still do it. The reason is that I usually get two responses that never
seem very beneficial.
The first is from the person who loves their job. They proceed to tell me how great their life is because of their job. This is usually a good thing, but so much of their excitement is wrapped up in how their job makes them a better person (better than you that is). Their job hangs around their neck like a medal (a really big, shiny one that they keep polishing while they talk so you won’t forget it). They’re proud of it because in some sense they earned it, and in another sense because they find their value and worth in it.
The second response is from the person who doesn’t love their job. They are usually very uncomfortable telling you what they do (and try to avoid it like the plague. Maybe even try to change the subject). They’re very strategic in only revealing certain aspects of their job (“I work for Google”). Revealing whom you work for is often a cover to hide what you really do for a living (“I replace the urinal cakes for Google’s bathrooms”). I believe it’s because they don’t identify with scrubbing toilets or taking out the trash. Most don’t by the way. Very few find fulfillment in that (which is why I so appreciate those that do). Often times we don’t have a purpose other than to make money so that we can put food on the table. But most importantly, I believe people are uncomfortable disclosing their occupation because they don’t want you to identify them by their employment. Why? Well, because they don’t want you to base their value and worth in it and because it is most certainly not who they are.
The truth is that no occupation is who we are. Our jobs are not who we are, they are what we do. Our society may gauge our identity by our work but it’s not the truth. No job holds that kind of weight. Consider the President of the United States. I doubt his wife or his kids love him any more because he is the leader of the free world. And I doubt his mother or father would love him any less if he goes down as the worst president in our nations history (this is purely hypothetical and not a political statement). My point being is that it doesn’t matter what he or she does, it’s not who they are.
The most difficult time I’ve had in this season of life has been to find who I really am because I’ve identified myself with my previous job for so long (since I was 20 to be exact). Maybe you’ve done the same thing. Maybe it’s not even a job that you identify with. Maybe it’s your role as a parent or a student. Maybe it’s the weight of responsibility you feel. All of those things are part of what we do, but they aren’t who we are.
I’ve been a Christian since 1997. The year prior I was really having a difficult time. It culminated with some life changing events that caused me to question where I was headed. I surrendered to Jesus in January of that year. I had no clue what it meant to be a Christian, yet I was one. For those who are married you may have experienced a similar thing. The day of your wedding you were single and then a few hours later you were married. You were a husband or a wife in that moment, yet you had no clue what that meant. Maybe you’re a parent. You have also experienced a similar thing. In a moment you had no kids and then your baby is born and instantly you are a mommy or a daddy, yet you have no clue what that even means.
The truth is that you may not understand what it even means to be a mom, dad, husband or wife, but you are. You are those things and now you must learn what it means to do those things well. The same is true of being a Christian. The bible teaches that our identity is found in Christ and in Him alone. The bible uses very specific terms to help us understand who we are in Him.
Ephesians 1:4-5 says, “For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ in accordance with his pleasure and will.” (NIV)
Identity looks very different for those who put their hope and trust in Jesus. We are chosen, we are holy, we are blameless, we are predestined to be adopted as God’s children.” It is who we are. We may have no idea what that means to live it out yet, but the truth is that it is who we are. Not your job that you hate. Not your occupation that you love. Those are things you do whether you enjoy them or not. Our identity is not found in things we do because there will be a day in our life where we can no longer do them. We try not to think about our mortality too much, but it’s the truth. We will get old some day (some sooner than others) and we will no longer be able to work. What happens then?
We were created with a purpose. God intentionally crafted us for good works. But those works were never intended to be our identity. Our good works are simply an opportunity to offer praise for his glorious grace. That’s the challenge for us. If our identity is truly in Christ, then it doesn’t matter what we do because it will always give us an opportunity to give God the glory that is due.
Not because of who I am
But because of what
You’ve done
Not because of what
I’ve done
But because of who You
are
- Casting Crowns
