Soul Talk: Redefining Identity Part 1

Taking selfies — it seems to define a culture bent on finding themselves, watching themselves, perceiving themselves as others do. And it becomes the symbol of our longing for identity. In this first of three parts on redefining “identity” I want to consider first what identity is not.

Identity is not the role I play. I remember being at a business gathering years ago where we were asked to introduce ourselves to one another without referencing our roles or accomplishments. We all sat silent for a while trying to figure out what we might say. I seem to recall introducing myself at the time as a woman in search of something more. I’m not sure that was my deepest truest identity, but for a moment it did allow me to step outside the typical connection to job, title, or accomplishment.

While identity always affects the roles we embrace, such roles do not make up the true core of self. That’s because our roles change…constantly. It’s more than being a great parent, or spouse, or friend, as beautiful or God-ordained as they may be. Identity derives from the immutable, unchangeable character of God. My identity is woven from the fiber of God’s own identity. If I truly believe that I am made in the image of God, then I reflect God in my life in some way. Or, as Paul states, “In God we live and move and have our being.” (Acts 17:28).

Sometimes, in order to set aside our roles and look deeper within, we have to identify what all those roles are and how we have used them to prop ourselves up, to self-proclaim my life as meaningful. Of course we love our children, our spouses, our careers, our community engagements. But there is so much more that informs who we are.

As you spend a few minutes considering what that “so much more” might be for you, consider also how the character of God is woven into your heart and soul. Follow that Divine thread and see where it leads you. Can you define your own soul without the use of a given role?