“Remember who you are!” That’s what Mufasa said to Simba in the Disney classic The Lion King. Simba had forgotten his identity as king in the midst of his carefree Hakuna Matata lifestyle. He needed to be regrounded and reoriented in his identity as the king.
The most important thing in the world is knowing who you are. Your identity orients your entire worldview. Who am I? The answer to that question relates closely to these: Where did I come from? What is my life for? Where am I going? How do I make sense of the world? What’s right and what’s wrong?
We live a culture that doesn’t have a clear sense of personal identity. People are therefore floundering. They are confused – lost and wandering in a wilderness of confusion.
The number of children age 9-12 who share self-generated sexually explicit images doubled in 2020, from 6% to 14%. These are pre-pubescent children! What is provoking a change like this? Clearly our children aren’t coming up with these ideas on their own. They are being sexualized by their culture. And they want to fit in – they are seeking affirmation according to the world’s (horribly skewed!) standards. They are not grounded securely in an identity in Jesus Christ.
A recent survey found that 30% of millennials identify as LGBTQI+. 30%! A generation ago 30% of the population wouldn’t have even understood the notions embodied in a set of letters such as this. Indeed, percentages in previous generations stood in the 2-4% range. What has led to the marked increase in people’s change in sexual and gender identities? We could point to many things present in the culture that would encourage this. But the number one factor is what is absent. An identity securely grounded in God.
We live in a world increasingly devoid of an awareness of God. That awareness of God grounds our worldview. It orients us. Our identity is found in our connection to him. For a Christian we have clarity about our identity. We were created by God – in his image, which gives us worth (we need not search for self-esteem!). Though we have value as created in God’s image, we all sin (much about us is corrupted and should be repudiated rather than celebrated!). Yet God still loves us and sent his Son, Jesus, to die for us (we are therefore optimistic, purposeful, and devoted to him).
In the midst of confusion, know who you are! Stand firm on a life grounded in Jesus Christ. You don’t need to discover meaning or worth. Indeed…you are not your own. You belong to Christ. Ground your self understanding in the finished work of Jesus Christ alone.
