RECOVERING YOUR TRUE IDENTITY by Dr. Shah, Clearview Church, Henderson, NC
Introduction: For the past several decades, people have been suffering from an Identity Crisis as never before. Brian Rosner, who I have used a lot in my studies on true identity, calls this “Identity Angst.” He writes, “I’ve had countless conversations with people of all ages in a variety of circumstances who are wondering who they really are: people who’ve been laid off; people whose parents have died; people whose online identity leaves them feeling like a phony; people who feel deflated by their aspirations for life not coming to fruition; people who feel diminished by all-consuming responsibilities for children or parents; people who feel lost at sea in our rapidly changing world. Identity angst is on the rise in the twenty-first century” (Taken from How to Find Yourself: Why Looking Inward is Not the Answer). In our series of the book of Job, we come to the portion where we see Job’s true identity. He declares it as one after another his world falls apart. Here’s the Main Point: False identity, misguided identity, popular cultural identity, and social media identity cannot help us when we face real life crisis. In fact, it can lead to devastating consequences. True identity alone can sustain us, but this true identity only comes through Christ. Realizing who we are in Christ and seeing the past and the future in that light will enable us to stand the test of time and crises. As in the case of Job, this true identity is revealed in crisis.
Job 1 (page #778) 20 Then Job arose, tore his robe, and shaved his head; and he fell to the ground and worshiped. 21 And he said: “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, And naked shall I return there. The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; Blessed be the name of the LORD.” 22 In all this Job did not sin nor charge God with wrong.
Context: Last weekend, John talked about “Worship Through Suffering.” When one after the other, the messengers arrived bearing one bad news after another, it would’ve been very easy for Job to just remain numb, which is something that happens when we are hit with trauma. Nicole talked about that couple of weeks ago. Or Job could have been angry, as also sometimes happens. Or, he could have just retreated into isolation, as also sometimes happens. Walking away from the church may seem like a good idea, but, in time, it will leave you open to the Devil to find you alone. It’s in the wilderness that he came to Jesus. Instead, Job 1:20 says, “Then Job arose, tore his robe, and shaved his head; and he fell to the ground and worshiped.” The key thing there is that “he worshipped.” The Hebrew word for “worship is “hishtachavah,” which means “to bow,” “to prostrate oneself,” “to bend low (in worship or as a mark of respect)” (TDNT). During trials, especially the extreme ones, we tend to shut down or get angry or start recasting ourselves, when, as believers, our greatest need is to worship. That may not be through loud singing or hand raising. It is through a heart that is willing to glorify God.
Application: How are you responding in your trials? Are you still worshipping God?
I want us to go on to the next verse, because here we find the source of Job’s strength during his crises. Listen again to verse 21 And he said: “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, And naked shall I return there. The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; Blessed be the name of the LORD.” Typically, we read past that as a “que sera sera” statement meaning “what will be, will be.” We say “It is what it is. There’s nothing you can do about it.” But, is that what Job was doing here? Was he simply saying, “It is what it is?” I disagree. I believe he was declaring his true identity and his operating principle in how he was going to face what was happening to him.
As I mentioned in the opening, we are living in the age of “Identity Angst.” At one time, people used to face an identity crisis at certain stages in life – 40, 50, 60-year mark. Brian Rosner called it “‘cuspiety,’ the anxiety associated with the reaching the precipice of so-called cusp ages.” With the coming of the digital age, especially social media, where we are constantly told to fit in or create who we want people to think we are, every age has now become an identity crisis! Justin Poythress, who is writing a book on this topic addressing Gen Z’s Who Am I and What Am I Doing With My Life? He wrote an article titled “The Midlife Crisis is Dead. All Hail the Daily Midlife Crisis” People are trying to rewrite the narrative of their past to create a unique identity.
To better understand this, consider the traditional identity markers (Rosner/Carl Trueman):
- Race, ethnicity, and nationality;
- Culture;
- Gender and Sexuality;
- Physical and Mental capacity;
- Family of origin;
- Age;
- Relationships;
- Occupation;
- Possessions;
- Religion; and
- Personality and Character.
The world says that you are bound by these identity markers. Do what you need to do to use them to your advantage. Trash those that get in the way. Exaggerate those that give you a leg up. Even rewrite your narrative if you must. The goal is to do whatever that brings you the greatest happiness. Don’t let any moral judgments keep you from achieving what will bring you the greatest success and satisfaction. Don’t let anyone stand as an authority over you to tell you what’s true and false or what’s right and wrong. You are the main character in your story. Bring your main character energy and live life to your fullest. According to Psychology Today, “‘Main character energy’ refers to the confidence, charisma, and self-assuredness that we often see in the main characters from our favorite books, shows, and movies. Embracing main character energy means taking a leading role in your life rather than living as a supporting cast member for others. By the way, right now, the attributes of race, ethnicity, gender, and sexuality are considered the most important things about you.
Let me pause here and tell you – Many people are struggling terribly because they have bought into this stuff. This is happening across all age-groups because social media is an equal opportunity perpetrator, but it is particularly harmful to the Millennials and Gen Zs. Happiness is not growing. It is actually decreasing. Relationships are not healing. They are getting broken. Families are not getting stronger. They are getting more fragmented and estranged. Marriages are on the brinks of divorce. Michael Allen Fox wrote: “We live in an age of self-obsession. Everywhere we look, we encounter a preoccupation with self-interest, self-development, self-image, self-satisfaction, self-love, self-expression, self-confidence, self-help, self-acceptance . . . the list goes on” (“We’re Self-obsessed—But Do We Understand the Nature of the Self?” The Conversation, August 31, 2004). By the way, before you shake your head at this generation, don’t forget that the older generations have taught the younger generations to – “Believe in yourself,” “Be true to yourself,” “Find yourself,” “Do what makes you happy,” “You can do anything you want,” and even “You can be anything” (latest Barbie slogan). This is a perfect place for me to add – it doesn’t take long for a false and misguided identity to go to a false and misguided identification. This is where people claim that they identify as a man or woman or non-binary, etc. This even becomes absurd where people identify as a cat or as a cloudkin – claiming to be a cloud trapped in a human body.
Back to Job – Listen again to Job 1:21 And he said: “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, And naked shall I return there. The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; Blessed be the name of the LORD.” Let’s pause and take it apart. First, there is a past – “Naked I came from my mother’s womb…” Second, there is a future – “And naked shall I return there.” Again, there is a past – “The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away…” But there is a present – “Blessed be the name of the LORD.” In those statements, we find the template of true identity. Your true identity is both where you came from and where you are going. Bruce Waltke refers to this as Memory and Destiny (Old Testament Theology: An Exegetical, Canonical, and Thematic Approach).
Going back to the original (outside) circle – Although, each of these attributes are important and they definitely make you who you are, they are not the end of your self. Having a true appreciation of them can be painful at times, but they are part of what makes you you. What is needed is the proper perspective on your past, which is correct memory. What is needed is the proper perspective on your future, which is correct destiny. When past memories are not properly handled or if they are allowed to be rewritten, “they become a ‘prememory’ of what will happen” (Miroslav Volf). In other words, whether real or conjured, you will have more painful memories in the future.
To understand your true identity, your present should be in Christ. The person who can help you with true memory is Jesus. He is also the one who can help you with your true destiny. So, what needs to happen? You must receive Christ as your Savior and King. I believe Job had done that already. Job 19 25 “For I know that my Redeemer lives, And He shall stand at last on the earth; 26And after my skin is destroyed, this I know, That in my flesh I shall see God, 27 Whom I shall see for myself, And my eyes shall behold, and not another. How my heart yearns within me!” Those are not the words of a lost person. Because Job was already in Christ, he could see his past and the future in a whole different light. So also, for us, when we receive Christ, we are united with him in his death, burial, and resurrection. Colossians 3 3“For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory.” Having this understanding and the life of Christ in us and the Holy Spirit with us, you can have your true identity.
We think that if we do it God’s way, we may have a disappointing life, a diminished life, an insignificant life, a failed life, a forgotten life.
To the contrary, with your true identity, you are now ready to take the stage for the greatest performance of all. What if God wants you to be the Main Character of your story. Let me pause here and clarify – this is where many preachers and theologians get it wrong. They will often say something like – “you are the not the star of the show, Jesus is. You are not the main character, Jesus is.” This is where I think they get it terribly wrong! If Jesus or God is a character on the stage, who is the director? If anyone other than God, or more specifically Jesus, is then something is horribly wrong. To the contrary, God is the director of the show, and you and I are the main character on the stage. I think Shakespeare did get it right in As You Like It – “All the world’s a stage, And all the men and women merely players; They have their exits and their entrances; And one man in his time plays many parts…” God is that director who wants to help us get a standing ovation at the end of life. The standing ovation is not the applause of the world, or even the church, but the applause of God himself – Matthew 25:23 “…Well done, good and faithful servant…” If only we would trust him, obey him, and follow him, we have no idea the things that God has prepared for us. If only we would “seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness,” he would add all these things to us. If only we would seek to glorify Jesus, Jesus will be to us what the Father is to him. What happens when you fail at your part? He doesn’t fire you. Unlike an ordinary director, he gives you the power and the strength to get it right. He even tells you that he understands because he has been there.
Listen carefully: The life God has for you is the best life for you, the life you would want, if only you had the sense enough to want it. It will be a life known, directed, and guaranteed to succeed by God.
Even though Job suffered incredibly, he did not let that become his identity. Instead, by God’s grace, he was able to become an example to countless souls through the ages!
How about you? Do you know Christ as your Savior and King?