It’s time to talk about one of my favorite and one of the most crucial subjects in our survival guide series. That’s instilling a God-centered identity in our young men and women here on Let’s Parent on Purpose.

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Show Highlights

It is crucial for us and for young people to understand who we are as far as being made in the image of God and to have parameters to understand what it means to be a biblical man or woman.

Today, the world is so crazy that it seems like everything is changing so rapidly and it feels like words don’t mean a thing. Truth is so incredibly relative.

On social media, young people are constantly bombarded with messages that skew who they are and who they think they should be. Our kids often end up not knowing what they are about and they need a vision and direction.

Help your children understand who they are – Are you your job? Your possessions? Your body? No. Center yourself and your children on your biblical identity.

Here are three crucial concepts in understanding biblical identity:

1. The most core identity that we have is being made in the image of God. Who you are isn’t centered on what you look like, your talents, nor your family, but on whose you are. Humanity is the crown of God’s handiwork. Your children are the crown of God’s handiwork. With bullying and other outside factors in the society that take a toll on their self-image and self-worth, it may be difficult for them to grasp. But, if they understand this, it will make them secure in their priceless identity.
2. Give your children a vision of manhood. It has nothing to do with what they world and society dictates as manly and macho. This is an image pulled from scripture. What makes for a REAL man? A real man:
   • Rejects passivity
   • Expects God’s greater reward
   • Accepts responsibility
   • Leads courageously
3. Give your children a vision of womanhood. A woman is not second class to men. A woman has equal dignity and equal value as an image-bearer of God. What makes for a REAL woman? A real woman:
   • Rejects worldly identity
   • Expects God’s greater reward
   • Acts with strength and wisdom
   • Loves others boldly.

These are things that your children need not only before they leave the house, but as early as middle school. Constantly remind them that their core identity is that they are made in the image of God and being a real man and real woman comes with the reward of God.

Resources Mentioned

• Things for Thursday and free e-book: Text THINGS to 66866
• Resource: Men’s Fraternity