What About Identity?

What About Identity?
Monday, February 3, 2025 by CF Sherrow

In the introduction to my memoir, My Personal Holocaust, I make the statement “What you are about to read is my history, but no longer my identity.”

Let’s explore that. We all have true identities and false identities. True ones are those God entrusted to us. Introvert vs Extrovert is one. Another is gender. Still another might be our inborn interests.

False identities are put on us by outside sources, for whatever reasons. For example, the cult convinced me that I was bad and deserved whatever they did to me. Later, my profession became my false identity. A lot of parents adopt false identities around having children.

My history was that of “victim of cult/ritual abuse”. I accepted this as my identity for many years. But as I received more healing, this false identity retreated into the realm of my history. It happened; it’s a historical fact. Nothing can change that.

But “victim” is not my true identity. Now it is “survivor” and “victor”. I worked hard, hand-in-hand with my counselors and my God, to get here. To understand and receive my true identity:

I am a daughter of the King, beloved and accepted in Christ, healed by His love.

CF Sherrow

Comments

DC From Indianapolis At 3/2/2025 3:32:12 PM

Carolyn, I've read most of your website and making my way to your blog, first one, and I have to say, not only do I relate to this post RE:false identity, but now I know where the struggle with the belief, "I am bad and undeserving of love," came from. Thank you. D