A Crisis Identity + Singing Ornaments

Happy Monday Friends!!! Welcome to day 2 of my Christmas devotionals where I share some things I've learned as well as something fun and Christmasy! If you missed day 1 check it out HERE.

Before I get into today's topic I wanted to share with you these awesome ornaments my granny has. First off, grannys are just awesome! My granny loves Christmas and collects ornaments. A couple of weeks ago Dave and I were visiting with her at her house and she pulled out these ornaments.

Today I want to share something I've noticed that many of us have - crisis identity. Lately, I've read on a couple of blogs where the writers wrote about many of the people they know are either getting married or having kids. They mentioned to hold on to your identity when other people get married and have kids. Some people almost seem distraught and at a loss. I'm not here to be mean to other bloggers by pointing out what they wrote it just made me think a lot. If I'm really honest, it kind of hurt my feelings. However, I remember being single and feeling the same way at times.

When I was single and all my friends were getting married and having kids - I did feel a bit like a lost sheep but then I moved to Korea. I was a 'teacher', a 'traveler' I had 'experience'. I felt better. 2013 roller around and I moved back to America. I moved to a small town and I wasn't that 'teacher' and 'traveler' anymore! aaaah! Now what do I do? Well, after feeling a bit at a loss and what seems like everyone asking me what my next 'career move' was I finally settled on the new identity of 'I'm a wife' and I'm ok with that.

Well ... after reading about what other single gals were writing and reflecting on my own thoughts / feelings it dawned on me that we kind of have it all wrong. I don't have a guarantee that tomorrow Dave will be here. I know - who writes things like that? But, it's true. If Dave were gone tomorrow my identity of 'wife' would turn to 'widow'. After facing that fact it's like God just impressed on me that my identity is to be found IN HIM. It's not in traveling, in a career, in a wife, in being a Mom, in being a runner, in being fit. While all of those things are good that can't be my core in life. Jesus has to be my identity. Check out this verse:

Philippians 3:9a

and being found IN HIM, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ

Our identity is to be found in HIM! Now you are probably wondering how this ties into Christmas? Well - I got to thinking about Mary. In Bible times being a virgin, being pure, getting married and having kids was a BIG deal. Can you imagine how her identity completely got stripped away from her because of her obedience to God? Her identity wasn't in her purity, it wasn't in her engagement to Joseph and it probably wasn't in her parents (I wonder if they believed her?). Her identity was in that little baby she was carrying inside of her. It had to be. There is no way someone can go through what she did without being rooted in Christ.

So my challenge to me and my challenge to you is  -  identify yourself with Jesus. When people think of me and you I hope that the main thing we are identified by are things that reflect Jesus: truth, righteousness, kindness, mercy, honest, caring, giving and so much more.

What are your thoughts on this? Do you struggle with this? Do you see this in society?