In today’s world it seems to me that there is a major emphasis on identity lately. I also feel that the enemy is strongly attacking this topic, especially in younger generations. If someone says that they have never had an identity crisis then they are lying to you. Everyone has a freak out a time or two about who they are and what they are even doing with their life. I had a minor freak out while writing this because I had major imposter syndrome (still do at times because who would have ever thought I would write a blog lol). It can be so easy to doubt and question ourselves, especially in today's world of social media. It feels like we are constantly running behind everyone else and trying to find who we are. We constantly think that we’ll never be as pretty, or accomplished as that one influencer everyone is currently obsessed with. I know in college, especially at Ole Miss, we have what we like to call the involvement culture (which is not a bad thing at all; it is one of my favorite things about Ole Miss!). If you look around it feels like everyone is joining every single club or honor society possible, or snagging the best summer internship. It can make you feel so lame and unaccomplished because you seriously cannot find the time to do it all. You may even feel that your chosen major or career path isn’t as important as others and it can make you feel a little less smart than some of your peers. But guess what, God uniquely made every single one of us. Your identity is found in him, not your accomplishments or success or what others and the world says about you. He knows the exact amount of hairs on your head and knitted you together in your mother’s womb (Matthew 10:26-31 & Psalm 139:13-14).
We so easily put our identity and worth into these worldly things. Yes it's great to work towards success and have goals, God didn’t create us to sit around and do nothing. But what we can’t do is find our identity within these and place our value in them. One thing that I fall victim to is thinking that I am not as smart as some of my other friends because of my major. I am currently majoring in Integrated Marketing Communications at Ole Miss and the running joke is that it is the “Mrs.Degree” and one of the easiest majors. And you know it may be an easier major (sorry I’m terrible at math, college algebra is my arch nemesis), but I love it. God created each one of us with different talents and gifts. I guarantee you that someone who is an engineering major would hate half of the marketing assignments I have to do, just like I would hate the assignments they have to do. We each have different things that we are good at and that doesn’t make anyone less smarter than the other. God has a specific plan for each of us, and we need different talents and gifts for it. I just think it’s so beautiful that he cares so much about us and took the time to uniquely make every single one of us.
Another thing I so easily see us college girls fall victim to is placing our entire worth and identity into a sorority and friend groups. Every girl wants to be in the “top house” but let's be real, what does that really even mean and who decided that one sorority is better than the other? I think that the “top house” is where you find the people who love and support you. The “top house” is different for each girl because as I said earlier we are all created uniquely by God. I love my sorority and the girls in it, and I love my friends in other sororities. We are not better than one another just because we are in a different house. We are all loved by God regardless of the letters we wear. Now digging a little deeper we so often put our worth and identity into who our friends are. I love my friends dearly, but no one is perfect and we will hurt each other's feelings every now and then. Too many times to count I have felt bad about myself because of something that happened with a friend, or to be fully honest overthinking one thing and then thinking my friend is upset with me when in reality there was literally nothing wrong and I was being a drama queen. But I’ve often let these affect me and my identity, because I was putting my identity and worth into my friendships. People will come and go but God is forever, and his love for us is forever. We have to remember that our identity can only be found in Christ and what he says about us.
As I have said multiple times, God uniquely created every single one of us (isn’t that just so amazing?!). So own it. Find your confidence in the Lord and own it. Know that he has a plan for you and that you are so loved by him. Know what he says about you and walk confidently in that. And be uniquely you just like he made you to be. So don’t place your identity in worth in material items, your accomplishments, or what anyone says about you. Let me leave you with some reminders about what God says about us, so when you start to place your worth or identity into worldly things you can easily refer back to God’s truth.
- You are a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17)
- You are forever loved (Romans 8:38-39)
- You are never alone (Joshua 1:9)
- You were created with a purpose (Esther 4:14)
- You are joy-filled (John 15:11)
- You have a spirit of love, power, and self control (2 Timothy 1:7)
- You are fearfully and wonderfully made (Psalm 139:14)
- You are forgiven (Colossians 1:13-14)
- You are led by the spirit of God (Romans 8:14)
- You are strong in the Lord (Ephesians 6:10)
- You are the light of the world (Matthew 5:14)
- You are saved by grace through faith (Ephesians 2:8)
- You are God’s handiwork created to do good works (Ephesians 2:10)