Identity
Ben Swarr - former collegiate wrestler; current FCA staff
Ready:
“For am I now trying to persuade people, or God? Or am I striving to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ.” – Galatians 1:10
Set:
As I pinned my opponent’s hips to the mat, I glanced over at the clock… 7, 6, 5… In a few seconds, I would be crowned the 2016 NCAA DIII National Champion after securing a last second takedown to win the match.
As a young man, I so badly craved the approval, respect, praise and recognition of other people. Like the builders of the tower of Babel in Genesis 11, I wanted to make a name for myself. I tried to construct an identity by becoming an elite wrestler that people admired. I thought that if “National Champion” was attached to my name, people would finally think highly of me, and I assumed that would fulfill me.
God had other plans. The next season, I lost in the finals to that same opponent by major decision, finishing second. My senior year, I lost twice and finished fifth. God showed me the fragility of an identity built on wrestling success and people’s approval.
Constructing your identity based on external accomplishments or the approval of others is like building on a foundation of sand. In fact, your identity is not meant to be something you construct at all – it is something that you are given by God. If you build your identity on accomplishment or approval, you will become either arrogant or insecure.
If Jesus is your Savior and Lord, you have received a radical new identity from God that you cannot lose! You can rest secure knowing that you are a sinner saved by grace, redeemed by the blood of Christ. Now, God refers to you as His child! Paul had an impressive resume as a spiritual leader, but he did not build his identity on accomplishment or approval. In fact, in Philippians 3:8, he refers to his religious pedigree as “dung” in comparison to the worth of knowing Jesus. Woah!
Paul also explains in Galatians 1:10 that pleasing people and pleasing God are oftentimes mutually exclusive. We must choose who we live to glorify – ourselves or God?
Don’t try to construct your identity through a wrestling accomplishment or the approval of others. If you are in Christ, He has won the ultimate victory on your behalf, so now you can wrestle with freedom and abandon, with nothing to lose. Instead of trying to make a name for yourself, wrestle for His name and His glory!
Go:
Have your wrestling goals and/or your desire for the approval, praise or recognition of other people ever crept in and become too closely tied to your identity?
What are some specific, practical action steps you could take to remind yourself that your identity is given to you by God and not based on accomplishment or approval?
Workout:
Genesis 11:1-9; Philippians 3:4-11; 1 Peter 2:9-10; 1 John 3:1
Overtime:
“Father, thank You for giving me a new identity as Your beloved child. Thank You that Jesus absorbed Your righteous, holy wrath for my sin so that I could be brought into Your family. I no longer want to wrestle and live to make a name for myself, but to bring honor, glory and praise to Your name. Amen.”