Who are you? What is your identity? There are numerous ways one can go about answering these questions. Maybe you thought of some of the following examples:

“I am a good student…a charismatic person…an athlete…a singer…a trustworthy friend…poor…somebody who has achieved a lot…”

These examples all share one thing, they are temporary characteristics. If you define yourself as a basketball player, then who are you when your break your shooting arm? If you are a trustworthy friend, who are you when you lose your ability to be trusted? If you are someone who has achieved a lot in this lifetime, who are you when this lifetime comes to an end?

If you gain meaning by the temporary qualities that define you, then your life loses meaning when those things are taken away.

With all of this said, let me clue you in on a little secret. Actually, let me clue you in on a big secret. There is a way you can define who you are that will never change, that will remain constant forever and ever, even after you die.

God made us and wants us to be a part of His family, but you are not automatically in it. You have to open the eyes of your heart and choose. You have to choose God as the source of your life.

The earlier examples of identity do not get at the heart of who somebody is. You might think they do, but they don’t. Those examples of identity result when you create your own identity.

The only identity you can create based on you is a temporary one. You saw what that looks like at the beginning of this article. Your eternal identity on the other hand, is based on God. It has already been created for you, you just have to choose to acknowledge it.

Our identity needs to first and foremost be understood as a child of God, a son or daughter to the Father who gave us life in the first place. Not only did God give us life in the first place, He wants to give us eternal life. He wants to give us an eternal identity.

So how do you acquire this everlasting identity? By believing in Him of course! If you believe in the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit; if you believe Jesus died on the cross for your sins; if you believe that life is a gift; then you have an identity.

Belonging to God’s family does not stop at belief. Since it’s a family, you are called to interact with your family members. As a child of God you are part of the Body of Christ; you are part of the church.

Your eternal identity …is based on God. It has already been created for you, you just have to choose to acknowledge it.

If talking about family makes you tense, or if you have grown up in a broken home, then what an opportunity you have. You can be a part of a new family, a family that loves you and will last forever.

God made us and wants us to be a part of His family, but you are not automatically in it. You have to open the eyes of your heart and choose. You have to choose God as the source of your life. You have to willingly accept the love He has for you, and then praise Him with love in return.

Identity is something that dictates and guides every aspect of your life. The only thing I can think of that does this is faith in knowing you are a child of God. When you view life in this way your perspective changes. Life is no longer all about you, your accomplishments, and your happiness.

When you view life as a gift from God, life becomes about Him and making Him happy with the type of life you are living. And the life He wants you to live is a life spent loving Him, getting to know Him, and serving others.

This type of identity is not a burden, it’s a joy. It’s fun and exciting knowing you are a son or daughter of God! It’s also very humbling. For example, when I think about my identity as a child of God, I can’t help but smile because I am so thankful. I did nothing to deserve such an identity; I probably don’t deserve such an identity at all. Yet, He loves me nonetheless and expects me to love both Him and others in the same manner.

One of the coolest things that has happened to me since I became a child of God is a shift in how I view my future in regards to my career, which is relevant to all college students, Gusties included.

Before I whole-heartedly accepted God into my life I used to feel a lot of pressure to choose the right career path. I would envision myself 5 years from now and imagine myself in various situations, yet I would feel just as lost as when I began! Now, I don’t worry about which career I will end up in. Thanks to my new identity, I have peace knowing I will go wherever He wants me to go.

In other words, what you do for a career is less important than how you do it. What you accomplish in life is less important than who you accomplish it for. What you do in life is less important than how you view your life. Your circumstances are less important than your identity, because circumstances change whereas your identity as a child of God does not.

Choosing your identity determines how you will live in this life, and how you will live in the next. So who will you choose to be? Being a child of God forever and ever sounds pretty good if you ask me.

-Colin Rieke