I had the honor to speak to a group of college girls last week. We talked about a topic that I think is important to us all, regardless of age or the season we’re in.

Identity.

Life is so much better when we know who we are. And life is abundant when it’s woven with Jesus.

Do you know who you are? And do you love who you are?

Many of those college girls are athletes. I’m not an athlete but I’m so glad our athletic ability doesn’t define who we are. All the things of this world, even the good, doesn’t define who we are. Who we are is found deeper within our hearts, our very being created by God.

Speaking to those girls made me look back and reflect on who I was in that stage of life. I remember as a senior in high school really wanting to try out for the track team. I loved to run and still do so it was a desire of mine. The problem was I lacked confidence and went through a thousand what if’s. Needless to say, I never became a track runner. More so, I didn’t know who I was.

Fast forward to now, and I can say I know who I am now, all because of Jesus.

Jesus is the One who forms our true identity. Our Father God created no two people alike. He created every person on the planet uniquely. We are fearfully and wonderfully made for a purpose and on purpose.

I think what is so beautiful about our Father God forming our identity in Christ is that we are so loved and known by Him. And we are knit together in love.

You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down; You are familiar with all my ways.

Psalm 139:2-3

You are known by Him. Fully known. Fully loved.

Identity means “the condition of being oneself and not another.”

Our Father God created each of us uniquely to be ourselves and not to be like any other. No other. It’s so easy though to compare ourselves to others. Sometimes we compare and see everyone else as more qualified. Better than us. More put together.

While effort can be a good thing, sometimes too much trying causes us to focus on all the outside things rather than our true selves. We try to fix ourselves or fix others. We try to make ourselves better. We try to do good and be good. We try to be the best. We try to be liked.

We don’t have to put all our effort into always trying. The truth is, we don’t have to measure ourselves to someone else because we were created like no other.

God created you. He created your identity. And He says . . .

You are redeemed.
You are loved.
You are forgiven.
You are accepted
You’re not forgotten.
You are not overlooked.
You are His beloved.
You are worthy.

But now this is what the LORD says – he who created you, O Jacob, He who formed you, O Israel; Fear not for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine.

Isaiah 43:1

We belong to Christ. Our identity is woven in Christ. He is the very fabric of our being, and it is beautiful. It’s all so beautifully displayed in the body of Christ who created you like no other, with an identity knit together in love.