There’s a lot of cultural connotations around both what our purpose is as well as what our identity is or should be. As I’ve continued to explore them both from my faith perspective, I’ve come to the conclusion that they very much need to be kept separate.
We live in a culture that quite literally tells us we can be anything we want. Anything. I began to ask myself how then is it that I define either my purpose or identity? Or both?
I’ve come to the conclusion that purpose is ever changing. Our purpose shifts with time. Sometimes it changes multiple times in a day. Sometimes it stays the same for years. For example, yesterday my purpose was to serve my daughter and keep her comfortable while she was sick. In this season, my purpose in this space is to give faith based encouragement through real life and inspiration. All of these, alongside so many other callings of purpose in this season (seasonal living is my jam) are encompassed in my ever evolving and shifting purpose.
However, my identify, my identity will never shift, it will never change. It’s locked in. Rock solid. I am a child of God. A girl who’s heart is forever anchored in the saving grace of Jesus Christ. Loved, worthy, redeemed and restored.
I believe we often confuse, intertwine and mix up the two. Potentially even allowing our purpose to become our identity.
Thinking of, and viewing purposes and identity as two separate things has allowed me the freedom to shift, change and feel more freedom to take risks and potentially to fail too, because even if I fail – my identity was never tied to that purpose anyway.
Be encouraged, live anchored. Love anchored. It was never your purpose to define your identity. It was already defined for you.
For He chose us in Him, before the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless in His sight. In Love. Ephesians 1:4
Leave a Reply