You and I have our original identity as God's beloved. Sin shifted our sense of identity onto a foundation of shame and selfishness/narcissism. Love didn't leave us there though. Love meets us right where we are but love doesn't leave us unchanged.

We exercise our freedom to choose at those crossroads. We can choose to allow love in to soften our hearts and minds toward God's way or harden against love by going our own way. Going God's way brings us into truth, reality and relationships that grow in love to grow more love over time.

Being restored as God's beloved fulfills our original identity God describes in the first creation account. It is a maturing process as we give God more and more of our attention with our time so He can change our heart and mind space.