Who Am I?

Track 1 00:00:01

Vonnie's entire world is built around a role, and then

Track 1 00:00:06

that role disappears. Vonnie Tyler was the wife of NFL

Track 1 00:00:10

running back Wendell Tyler. For years, her identity was wrapped

Track 1 00:00:13

up in being an NFL wife. The lifestyle, the status, the

Track 1 00:00:18

community, and the purpose that came with her husband's career.

Track 1 00:00:21

She knew who she was because she knew what world she belonged to.

Track 1 00:00:25

Then, football ended. No more games, no more spotlight, and no

Track 1 00:00:29

more built-in community. And Vonnie was left with a question

Track 1 00:00:32

she didn't expect. If I'm not an NFL wife anymore, who am I? Why

Track 1 00:00:37

would someone whose life looked so full suddenly feel so lost?

Track 1 00:00:43

Welcome to Daily Devotions for Busy Lives. I'm Bart Leger, and

Track 1 00:00:48

today we're asking a question every person eventually faces.

Track 1 00:00:52

Who am I? If you've trusted Jesus as your Savior, Ephesians

Track 1 00:00:56

2.10 answers that question. It says,

Track 1 00:01:06

That verse tells you three things about who you really are.

Track 1 00:01:13

First, you're God's masterpiece. It's interesting because the

Track 1 00:01:17

word in the Greek is poiema, where we get the English word

Track 1 00:01:22

poem. Second, you're God's creative work, his handiwork,

Track 1 00:01:27

his finest expression. You weren't mass-produced. You were

Track 1 00:01:31

crafted with intention by the creator of the universe. Second,

Track 1 00:01:35

you've been created anew in Christ Jesus. Your identity

Track 1 00:01:39

isn't found in your old life, your past, your failures, or

Track 1 00:01:42

your former titles. In Christ, you are a new creation. That

Track 1 00:01:47

means your deepest identity isn't something you earn or you

Track 1 00:01:50

build. It's something God has already declared over you. Third,

Track 1 00:01:55

you were made for good works that God planned long ago. You

Track 1 00:01:58

have purpose. Not purpose tied to a job title or a relationship

Track 1 00:02:02

status, but purpose woven into the fabric of who God made you

Track 1 00:02:06

to be before you ever took your first breath. Most of us don't

Track 1 00:02:11

build our identity on Ephesians 2.10. We build it on things that

Track 1 00:02:14

can be taken away. We build it on our careers. I'm a doctor.

Track 1 00:02:19

I'm a teacher. I'm a business owner. For me, it was when I

Track 1 00:02:23

retired from the sheriff's office. I realized it had become

Track 1 00:02:26

part of my identity. I didn't carry a badge anymore. I lost

Track 1 00:02:31

that part of my identity. And when the career changes, we feel

Track 1 00:02:35

lost. We build it on our relationships. I'm so-and-so's

Track 1 00:02:39

spouse. I'm so-and-so's parent. And when the relationship shifts,

Track 1 00:02:43

we don't know who we are anymore. We build it on our

Track 1 00:02:47

accomplishments. I'm the one who graduated, who won the award,

Track 1 00:02:50

who built the whatever it is. And when someone else achieves

Track 1 00:02:54

more, our sense of self crumbles. We can also build it on other

Track 1 00:02:59

people's opinions. You know, they think I'm talented. They

Track 1 00:03:02

think I'm valuable. And when their opinion changes, and it

Track 1 00:03:06

probably will, so does our worth. Every one of those foundations

Track 1 00:03:12

will eventually shift. Jobs will end. Relationships change. And

Track 1 00:03:18

the accomplishments fade. And people's opinions, they're so

Track 1 00:03:22

fickle. And when the thing you built your identity on gets

Track 1 00:03:25

taken away, you're left standing in the rubble asking, who am I

Track 1 00:03:29

now? But when your identity is rooted in Christ, the answer to

Track 1 00:03:34

that question never changes. You're God's masterpiece. You

Track 1 00:03:37

were created anew. You're loved, chosen, redeemed, and called.

Track 1 00:03:42

Those things don't depend on your performance or your title,

Track 1 00:03:46

or, thank goodness, anyone else's approval. They depend on

Track 1 00:03:50

who God is and what He's already done. Bonnie's identity crisis

Track 1 00:03:55

forced her to confront how much of her worth had been built on a

Track 1 00:03:58

title instead of Christ. Through counseling and scripture and the

Track 1 00:04:03

honest community around her, she began to rebuild her foundation.

Track 1 00:04:07

This new foundation wasn't built on being someone's wife or a

Track 1 00:04:12

lifestyle, but on being God's beloved daughter first. She now

Track 1 00:04:17

encourages other women to anchor their identity in who God says

Track 1 00:04:19

they are before anything else gets added or taken away. A job

Track 1 00:04:24

can end and a relationship can change. But when your identity

Track 1 00:04:27

is rooted in the God who made you and calls you His, that

Track 1 00:04:31

foundation doesn't move. Maybe you're in a season where

Track 1 00:04:36

something has been stripped away. It could be a role or a title, a

Track 1 00:04:40

relationship, a dream, and you're feeling lost and you're

Track 1 00:04:43

wondering who you are without the thing that used to define

Track 1 00:04:46

you. Here's what I want you to hear. You are still God's

Track 1 00:04:51

masterpiece. That hasn't changed. Your identity was never meant to

Track 1 00:04:55

rest on something that could ever be taken away. It was meant

Track 1 00:04:58

to rest on someone who never leaves. Here's today's challenge.

Track 1 00:05:03

Take a few minutes today and write down the things you've

Track 1 00:05:06

been building your identity on. It might be your job or

Track 1 00:05:10

relationships. It could be your accomplishments, your appearance,

Track 1 00:05:13

or other people's opinions. And I want you to be honest. Then,

Track 1 00:05:18

next to each one, write this truth from Ephesians 2.10. I am

Track 1 00:05:22

God's masterpiece. He has created me anew in Christ Jesus.

Track 1 00:05:28

Then, ask God to shift your foundation from the things that

Track 1 00:05:32

can be taken away to the one who never changes. You can pray

Track 1 00:05:35

something like, Lord, help me find my identity in you alone.

Track 1 00:05:40

Not in what I do, not in what others think, and not in what I

Track 1 00:05:44

have, but in who you say I am. Lord, we confess that we built

Track 1 00:05:49

our identity on fragile things, on titles that can be taken away,

Track 1 00:05:54

roles that might change, on achievements that someone else

Track 1 00:05:57

could surpass, and on the opinions of others. And when

Track 1 00:06:00

those shift, we feel lost. Help us to anchor our worth in you

Track 1 00:06:05

alone. Remind us that we are your masterpiece, created anew

Track 1 00:06:09

in Christ, made for good works, that you planned long ago. When

Track 1 00:06:13

everything else shifts, you remain. Help us to rest in that

Track 1 00:06:17

truth today. In Jesus' name, amen. If you're walking through

Track 1 00:06:22

a season where your identity feels shaken, and you need

Track 1 00:06:25

prayer, I'd love to pray for you. Leave me a voicemail at

Track 1 00:06:30

dailydevotionsforbusylives.com slash voicemail, and I'll pray

Track 1 00:06:35

for you by name. Thanks for joining me on Daily Devotions

Track 1 00:06:39

for Busy Lives. Remember, you are God's masterpiece. Your

Track 1 00:06:43

identity isn't found in what you do or what others think. It's

Track 1 00:06:47

found in who God says you are. And that foundation doesn't move.

Track 1 00:06:51

Come back next time for more encouragement to help you live

Track 1 00:06:55

grounded in God's truth. Until then, God bless, and have a

Track 1 00:06:59

great day.