READ: PSALM 139:1-18; 2 CORINTHIANS 5:16-17

Who am I? What is my purpose? Do I matter? If you’ve asked these questions, you’re not alone. When describing ourselves, we often list physical attributes such as age, height, hair color, and ethnicity. Or we may list hobbies, accomplishments, or skills that we are proud of. Perhaps we discuss our family heritage, or other relationships that we look to for meaning. Often, we depend on our own feelings, perceptions, and the opinions of others to determine who we are.

But what happens when these subjective feelings change? Do our identities depend on sometimes-shaky relationships? What happens when, as we age, abilities that used to seem effortless are lost? When our hair turns gray or falls out and our skin wrinkles with the wear of time, what then?

Sometimes we define ourselves by mistakes made in the past. Failures, wrongdoings, mix-ups—they become more than actions forgiven and forgotten. They become who we are.

But we are more than this.

Our true identity is known by our Creator in the deepest way possible. We were created by the Living God, woven together in our mother’s womb by His hand (Psalm 139:13). He says, “Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered” (Luke 12:7). We bear the image of our Maker. And even though we all sin against God and against each other every day, if we believe that Jesus died in our place and rose again to give us new life, surrendering to Him as Lord of our lives, we can receive our new identities as forgiven, beloved children of God. This is the unchanging rock we can hold onto, and it’s here that we find our true selves. Through Him, our mistakes and sins need no longer define us. We can be sure that, “if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!” (2 Corinthians 5:17). • Julia Faith Steward

• If you’ve put your trust in Jesus, God has wiped out your past, present, and future sins through Jesus’s death and resurrection. He has given you a new identity as His beloved child. And He has also given you a new purpose: to glorify Him. How can the knowledge that God Himself knew you before you existed, and created you just as you are for His good purpose, affect how you view yourself? Consider spending some time in prayer, asking God to help you see yourself more fully as He sees you. (Genesis 1:26-27; Ephesians 1:17-18)

I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. Galatians 2:20 (NIV)