where is your identity?

Every day we face an immeasurable amount of pressure to be something that is more than likely unreachable. For some, the pressure is to be Super Mom/Dad with a great job, thriving social life, flawless marriage, and still be at every event for your children. For others, they feel like they are expected to be CEO of a multi-million dollar company with thousands of employees by the time they are a certain age. For young millennials, the pressure to be a huge success before you're 30 is rampant through society. 

Of course, with pressure always comes the demeaning thoughts of comparison - "They are able to be at all of the ball games, recitals, plays, etc. and I can't even put dinner on the table at 6:00 every night.", "Look at their relationship, I bet they never fight.", "They're 25 and more successful than I will ever be, why even try?" These thoughts that tear us down in our own minds usually come as we are scrolling through social media, reading articles about our peers or people our age, or even while we are at a party celebrating a major accomplishment of one of our closest friends. 

​The problem is that we are looking at everyone's highlight reel and not seeing the huge fight that the couple got into just before the first guest of the party showed up to their house. We aren't seeing the sacrifices that the parent made to be at that ball game, and we definitely aren't hearing about all of the sleepless nights, times of doubt, or the loneliness that the CEO deals with.
I'm not saying that everyone who seems to have it pretty well off really doesn't - I am saying that we damage ourselves by allowing those thoughts to come into our head because in reality we have no idea what the people around are going through in private. I don't post about the failures, doubts, depression, or fights I have with the people closest to me on social media. Do you? 

When it comes down to it, the question is not "Why can't I be more like so-and-so?" the question is "Why am I allowing the enemy to feed me lies that I am less than someone else? Am I not a chosen child of the Highest God?"

By listening to these lies of comparison not only are we nullifying the validation that comes from our personal God given journey but we are placing the stock of our identity in titles, positions, appearance, and performance instead of in what the Word of God says we are: a co-heir with Christ (Romans 8:17), fearfully and wonderfully made (Psalm 139:14), accepted (Romans 15:7), made in the image of God (Genesis 1:27); a chosen people, royal priesthood, God's special possession (1 Peter 2:9). There are so many amazing depictions of who we were created to be throughout God's Word. But my favorite is Child (Romans 8:16).

Child is my favorite because our identity can lie so still in that alone. Being a child means that God, our father, provides for us (Philippians 4:19), protects us (2 Thessalonians 3:3), gives us victory (1 Corinthians 15:57), and we are loved unconditionally (Psalm 52:8). 

When we are sure of our true identity as a child of God, everything else falls in comparison. Take the next few weeks and commit with me to not filter our lives through the successes of others instead let’s filter everything from a stance of "I am a child of God" and see how much our perception of our lives change. I believe that as we draw closer to the identity we were born to walk in, our eyes will be opened to the many blessings around us every day and we will stop comparing ourselves to every other living person out there. 

We will be praying for you as we embark on this journey together. It will be worth it. 
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​Vine Life Staff - DP
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