Rest and Reset: A 30-Day Devotional to Revive JoySample

Identity Crisis

You might lose sight of yourself in your circumstances or forget who you are, but God never will. A crisis of identity indicates that you've placed your worth in temporary things instead of keeping your foundation rooted in Christ. After a traumatic event, on the road to healing, many women work hard to become who they were before the life-altering situation. However, once you confront the complex reality and realize that you can’t undo the damage caused, you can let the Lord strip you down to the studs and rebuild you in light of His grace for your future.

In this age of social media, it can be tempting to find your identity and worth in likes, comments, and engagement. When you put effort into something you're passionate about—whether it’s a personal project, entrepreneurship, or content creation—and believe it will be well-received, how do you feel when the numbers don’t match virality? Or when you hope and pray to be married with children by a certain age, and all you see in your newsfeed are engagement and pregnancy announcements—yet there you are, single with no prospects around, with a calendar that seems to be rushing through the months. It can be hard not to feel the sting of discouragement.

The tension of knowing who you are while also praying for who you hope to become can be intense and, at times, even seem unfair. But God has a plan. Maybe, just maybe, He has not yet brought the success, the husband, or the children because He wants to strengthen the foundation of who you are in Him, beyond answered prayers and achievements.

While the Israelites were in the wilderness, their murmuring and complaining during the longer-than-usual journey to the Promised Land caused them to forget who they were and where they were headed. God promised them deliverance, but they couldn’t see how anything good could come from their journey. As the days passed, they started to long for Egypt. The Bible says, 'But lusted exceedingly in the wilderness, And tempted God in the desert.' Psalm 106:14 KJV

When you have lived in captivity to sin, old ways, old relationships, mindsets, and even harsh treatment, the promise of freedom can seem tempting until it’s time to mourn the old habits, relearn new ways, and untangle the emotional ties to what your mind is used to. When they were under Pharaoh’s rule, they cried out for deliverance. When it finally came, and Moses led them out, the desire for bondage began to creep back in. Bondage can be mistaken for identity if you’re not careful, or you can become used to using your past as a badge of victimhood instead of trusting in God’s saving grace and victory.

So, the Lord may not have answered yet because He wants to remove the old thoroughly. John was imprisoned shortly after Jesus’ baptism. He understood his mission on earth—to prepare the way for our Messiah. But as he sat in prison, he started to question whether Christ truly was the Savior. Jesus lovingly sent a message to John about all He had done and then praised him for being confident in his identity, not changing his message or clothing for an ever-changing world, and declared that He was great.

John faced doubt and uncertainty, but he didn’t let his questioning of Jesus cause him to lose sight of the purpose for which he was suffering. Your identity is rooted in Christ, and it should remain unchanged by your circumstances. If you are in a season of rebuilding, who you are and the things you love to do, trust that God is with you. Consider taking a break from social media for a season. The Lord loves you, and His love was established in your mother’s womb. Your identity is secure in Christ, but it can shift if you have placed it elsewhere. Protect the precious and sanctified gift of knowing who you are and rest in God’s promise of being fearfully and wonderfully made.

Be Encouraged.