"Identity Shift"
Do you compare yourself with others? Do you wish you could be someone else, maybe doubting what you could do for God? We all have these thoughts.
All three of my girls enjoyed playing dress up. Dressing up and pretending to be princesses was one of their favorite things to do. It was fun to pretend to be someone they weren’t, because it made them feel special like the person they were pretending to be. Just like playing dress up with princess dresses, hats, and gloves, we all have "played dress up" too. Not just in our youth but in adulthood.
My girls also enjoyed pretending to be other people, like the piano player or their Sunday School teachers; and I remember they even pretended to be the choir director. It was good the girls had Godly examples to desire to be like.
Psalm 37:37 "Mark the perfect man, and behold the upright: For the end of that man is peace."
The word mark means to keep or observe, so the Bible even tells us to behold the upright and observe their ways. Thankfully my girls had many Godly examples in their lives who they esteemed.
While we respect and admire some for their walk with God, we should remember that God has an individual plan for our lives. He doesn’t have to duplicate Himself, because He has a unique plan for each person. We are all the same in that God created us in His likeness and for Him, but God made us all unique and designed us to serve Him in different ways.
There are many in the Bible who shifted their identify. They thought themselves to be less than what God had intended them to be.
Gideon
The Lord had told him he would save Israel from the hand of the Midianites. Gideon’s reply… “And he said unto Him, Oh my Lord, wherewith shall I save Israel? Behold, my family is poor in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father’s house.” (Judges 6:15) Gideon doubted God’s strength and purpose for his life and lacked faith in his calling. God spoke and showed Gideon several “signs” that He would be with him for Gideons comfort. How many times does God speak to our hearts and call us to do something in a sweet, soft voice over and over? He is long-suffering and has a purpose for each of our lives.
Solomon
He told God “I am but a little child: I know not how to go out or come in.” He was doubting that he could lead God’s people. God gave Solomon the wisdom that he asked Him for, and riches and honor above all that were before and after him, because he asked for wisdom to lead His people. (I Kings 3:5-14).
Jeremiah
He was called to be a prophet and told God “Ah, Lord God! Behold, I cannot speak: for I am a child,”. In Jeremiah 1:5, prior to Jeremiah's doubtful statement, God tells him, “Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.” Jeremiah was a unique prophet unlike any other. He became the most determined, self-disciplined, steadfast prophet in the scripture all because he yielded to who he was in the Lord.
Sarah
She doubted God’s power in that she could bear a child in her old age. Sarah laughed within herself and doubted her ability to conceive a child. God, despite Sarah’s doubt, brought it to pass that she carried the promised child, Isaac. God had a purpose for Sarah in His timing.
We all, so many times, put a mask on and try to be someone else according to who we are around. But we are not to identify ourselves with those who we are around like a chameleon but be ourselves. We are all originals. This doesn’t mean to be contrary to the scriptures by being obnoxious and standing out in rebellion. Many times, being who God wants us to be will actually cause us to go unnoticed. Many of the great people that we read about in the scriptures were not considered great at that time in history. Jeremiah was all alone in the battle of weeping and begging Israel to return back to God. Noah was all alone in his ministry with his family. Abigail didn’t even have the support of her foolish husband, Nabal, to support God’s anointed. In all these examples, the characters were different from where God had them to be, but God made their lives bloom in what He had for them.
We cannot all be Sunday School teachers or musicians. We all do not
have a talent to sing, but we can all be wholly yielded to the Lord. He can give you peace about your identity in Him. God spoke to Jeremiah when He called him to be a prophet of God.
Jeremiah 1:5 "Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations."
God knew what Jeremiah was born to do just as He knows His plan for you and I. Be yourself in Him, and through Him you can have your own identity.