The you, you believe you are
The You, you believe, you are
What makes up what we believe of ourselves?
Talk about the Nature, Nurture, and traumas that have shaped our current self-identity.
Nature, the physical and psychological impacts of genetics.
Nurture, the morals and values shown throughout childhood by parents, guardians, and family/friends.
Traumas, those events which happened because of our choices or others choices made against us. How these can cause us to see ourselves in a negative light and develop a lot of the stuck points or self-deprecating habits.
How do our beliefs in who we believe we are affect our daily actions, life decisions, or even our relationship with Christ/God the Father?
James 1:14-15 How temptations give birth to sin, and sin to death. Explain how a belief in one’s self being in something outside of God brings about the successful temptation to find meaning and purpose outside of God’s will, and that will always bring about the shame, hurt, destruction that God tells us it will.
Give some examples, child told they aren’t good enough or never do anything right. This builds into their identity as an adult. They choose jobs that they feel they can do and not what they are actually capable of. They may pick a partner and settle for just anyone who pays them mind, because they don’t believe they are worthy of a good and decent person. They look at their relationship with God and may accept his grace, but run away from him believing they aren’t worthy of it. Or maybe they live their life trying to prove themselves worthy to God only to be burned out and exhausted, yet never feeling worthy.
Perhaps a sexual trauma or physical trauma occurred in childhood. They believe themselves helpless, afraid, or stained and impure. They grow up believing themselves dirty or disgusting. They might isolate from their friends that are a positive influence because of a lack of worthiness, but perhaps unable to share why. The friendships diminish and eventually might fall apart. This might only further prove to the person their identity is correct and that no one wants to be around them. They may even carry this over into their relationship with God. “He may have saved others but not me. Why would he ever pour his blessings on me when he has seen what I’ve done or what I am” they might say. Perhaps every relationship as an adult is seen through this stained lens, romantic, friendships, or even family, and they find opening up to people extremely difficult and frightening.
How does abiding in the Lord impact these?
Talk about finding our identity in Him, over time, re-writing these beliefs that were ingrained in us from childhood. Allowing ourselves to be transformed by the word of God and who he says we are, can allow us to walk in the identity we have in Christ.
