Rooted in our Identity in Christ

Our identity in Christ flows directly from our intimacy with God. Just as Jesus was validated at His baptism—”This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”—our identity is not based on what we do but on who we are: beloved children of God.

Through Jesus, we have received the Spirit of adoption into God’s family, fully seen and fully loved. But so often, instead of living from what God says over us, we live chasing an identity based on what we have, what we do, or what others think of us.

This becomes the “false self” that fractures us, creating an incongruity between who we are and how we live. We keep moving, keep playing the part, “fake it until you make it,” showing everyone (and even God) the together version of ourselves while privately contending with lies, secrets, and unmet needs. Hidden shame becomes the lifeblood of this false self, fragmenting our spiritual, emotional, and physical lives.

Healing begins when we bring our whole selves to God—our disappointments, frustrations, and the ways we’ve self-medicated or sought validation in unhealthy places.

And healing doesn’t come from ignoring or killing the false self but from integrating it. By acknowledging its role and surrendering it to Jesus, we allow His grace to transform even the broken parts of our story. In this embrace, we discover that His power is made perfect in our weakness, and He proclaims over us: “You are my child. I love you. I am proud of you.”