I shared about identity a few weeks back during our Thanksgiving services at Sunset. Some of those thoughts have been birthed through my book writing and some of it has been birthed out of going through life over the past few months.
And while I might have made it sound easy to live with the type of identity I believe God desires for us, it’s anything but easy. The truth is I struggle constantly to find myself rooted and living out of God’s love and acceptance all the time.
On days when book writing and research isn’t going well it’s easy for me to think of myself as a bad writer and a failure.
On days when I’m leading worship and people don’t seem to be responding or engaging much I tend to view myself as a poor leader.
On days when can’t seem to find the right words to support and love my wife I begin to define myself as a bad husband unable to give her what she need from her man.
On days when the fight for “success” at my church seems overwhelming it’s easy to think of myself as incapable of leading God’s people in a way that honors Him.
I know I’m not really alone in this. We don’t talk about it much, but these struggles are the struggles we all have. In the midst of life it’s easy to get lost and disconnected from God’s penetrating love for us.
The blessed truth is that in the midst of our struggles, God’s grace abounds all the more. His presence brings His love and we always have an opportunity to live our lives out of that love instead of the negative identities we often find ourselves living out of.
God did come so we could spend eternity with Him, but He also came to bring a better life for us now.
I’m not talking about a better life through prosperity, monetary blessings, and perfect health…
I’m talking about a better life surrounded by His love for us.
“At just the right time, He died for the unworthy.”
