4 Things That Never Define Who We Are

It seemed like she looked right through me.

You’re the pastor’s wife? You’re not what I expected.

Have you ever been anyone’s “not what I expected”?

If you’ve lived any amount of time on this earth, it’s highly likely. And this certainly wasn’t my first rodeo for not meeting someone’s expectations, and it wouldn’t be my last.

The Wrong Definitions

Because all the wrong ways others attempt to define us or we attempt to define ourselves, have circulated for countless ages. Really, these false dictionary-attempting claims started in the beginning and in our beginning.

So, let’s look at 4 things, 4 R’s, that never define who we are.

With each one, we discover how God defines who we are from the book of Truth.

(1.) Roots never define who we are.

Plants have roots. Those of us who color our hair have roots. People have roots from childhood and family experiences.

Although I started going to church in elementary school, I didn’t have a spiritual upbringing or grounding in God’s Word. So when my parents divorced, I felt unseen and unheard and unloved.

But when I accepted Jesus as my personal Lord and Savior at sixteen, and later had mentors in college and as a woman, I began to grow spiritual roots.

Our root-system in Christ most accurately describes us: loved, chosen, forgiven, and redeemed.

If your childhood became cut off from a secure source of parents or family. If decisions in your teen and young adult years caused root-damage. Or, if your marriage feels dried up instead of nourishing, the Lord is your source of nourishment for healthy roots, now.

As we walk closely with the Lord, we become rooted and established in the faith (Colossians 2:6-7).

Jesus establishes our correct identity in Him.

Jesus establishes our correct identity in Him. Share on X