What Defines You?

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'This 13-year-old was already a surf phenom in Hawaii.

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Sponsors, trophies, and all the promise in the world. Then, one October morning, a shark attack takes her left arm. Overnight, Bethany Hamilton goes from local kid to international headline.

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Reporters ask, "Will she compete again? Will she be the same?" But she had a deeper question to answer long after the cameras

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If I can't perform like before, what defines me?

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Welcome to Daily Devotions for Busy Lives. I'm Bart Leger, and today, we're talking about identity. In a world that tells us we're defined by how we perform or what we achieve, scripture reminds us that who we are is anchored in something much stronger. being a new creation in Christ. Second

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17 says, "Anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone. A new life has begun." Bethany says her answer actually started before the attack,

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"God, I want my to be more than surfing. I want to honor you with my life." After the accident, that prayer became her anchor. She later wrote, "I am a beloved child of God. Being anchored to this true identity has given me peace, purpose, and worth my entire life." So even as she learned to surf again and return to competition, her worth wasn't tied to heat sore headlines. It was rooted in Jesus. That's identity you can't lose. And that's the heart of Paul's words

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If you belong to Christ, you are a new creation. Your past no longer defines you. Your success no longer defines you. Even your failures don't define you.

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Christ does. But let's be honest.

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We all feel the pull to base our worth on performance. Maybe it's climbing the career ladder.

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Maybe it's grades, or appearances, or parenting. Maybe it's ministry accomplishments.

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And when the applause is there, we feel valuable. When it fades, we wonder if we matter at all.

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But the Gospel flips that. Your worth isn't tied to what you do.

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It's tied to what Jesus has done.

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His death and resurrection secured your identity as God's child if you trusted in Him. And that identity doesn't change with circumstances. When you know that, it changes everything.

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You can take risks without fear of failure because your worth isn't riding on the outcome. You can rest instead of endlessly striving because God has already called you His own. You can love others freely because you're not looking for them to fill a hole in your identity that only God can fill. Bethany Hamilton has spent her life since the accident proving that truth. Not by winning trophies, but by living anchored in Christ. And that anchor is available to you too. Today, finish this sentence out loud. I am not defined by— Can you fill in the blank? I am defined by being a child of God.

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But fill in the blank with whatever performance, whatever role or achievement you're tempted to cling to. Let God's Word remind you where your true identity rests. Father, thank you that my worth is not tied to what I do, but to who I am in you. Help me let go of false identities built on performance and rest in the truth that I am a new creation in Christ. In Jesus' name, Amen. Thanks for joining me today on Daily Devotions for Busy Lives.

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Remember, you're not defined by performance, but by Christ who makes you new. I'll come back next time for more encouragement to help you live grounded in God's truth. Until then, God bless and have a great day.