If we feel we are valued and respected, that we are playing a valuable part in people's lives, then we feel positive about who we are. But if we feel undervalued, rejected or worthless then our identity is crushed and we do not live in fullness. Our identity can easily be influenced by how others react to us or treat us.
We can also get some of our identity from the people we spend time with. This is particularly true for the younger generations who may well relate to a specific style such as indie, geek chic or vintage. They will dress similarly, like the same things, go to the same places and behave the same way. The identity they have is formed by others influences, which defines who they are and how they behave.
It can be easy to listen to the lies that are whispered in our ears about who we are and how others view us. We can crush who we are meant to be by believing that our identity comes from what our friends or relatives think of us. Our identity is not what our friends think of us, but in what God thinks of us.
"For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be" Psalm 139:13-16 [NIV]
God planned our identity, and chose who we should be. Although we can be influenced by our friends, and by how they perceive or judge us, God chooses who we are and how we will grow. He chooses our identity.
Corinne Mason
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