Who Do You Think You Are?

January 26, 2015

Do you know, deep down, who you are?

Do you constantly act the role of chameleon, trying to fit in wherever you are and becoming what you think others want you to be? That’s a tough way to live. Stress takes a heavy toll. Identity confusion causes you to change your mind about decisions, about yourself, about who you choose as friends.

People falsely believe that the life roles they play dictate who they are.

Have you ever seen someone do something that seems completely out of character for him? I’ve gotten really tired of reading about jailhouse interviews with people who say, “That’s not me. It’s not who I really am. I’m a good person.” I’m firmly convinced these people have no idea who they really are, that they’ve been acting, not living, life.

Hopefully, few of us will find ourselves in trouble with the law, but it is incredibly common for us to live with false identities. These can come from a number of sources:

• Painful sources: These can include the common ones like abuse, bullying, and neglect. Less common ones include spiritual abuse, ritual abuse, manipulation, and familiar spirits. This category is the most common source of false identity.

• Benign sources: These can include things like family heritage and culture.

• Happy sources: These can include marriage, the birth or adoption of a child, and other strong social interactions.

The biggest problem with false identities is that we don’t recognize them as false. We’ve lived with them for so long that we accept them as being true.

Even if we aren’t “chameleons” and we live consistently within our false identity, that doesn’t change the truth: it isn’t who you really are. It isn’t who you were meant to be.

And it isn’t the destiny God has designed for you.

this is part 1 of a series on identity.

Part 1| Who Do You Think You Are?