I recently saw a sad video of a young woman, probably in her early 20’s, lamenting the fact she had lost everything. What had happened was the woman, who had a large following on the social media platform Instagram, had her account closed by the service after repeated complaints from other users. In the video, the woman was wailing and obviously in distress saying repeatedly, “I am nothing without my followers”.
I couldn’t get over how sad it was she found her worth in the number of people following her on Instagram. I admit my first reaction was to shake my head at the shallowness of it, but I quickly shifted to how much this woman needed Jesus in her life. Her true worth, your true worth, is found only in Christ.
When we get all our life from Jesus, circumstances and trials of this world won’t leave us emotionally distraught. We have a firm anchor in the storm. When our world is turned upside down, our identity is not shaken because it is rooted in the unchanging character of God. The Lord is not swayed by public opinion, nor moved by the fickle winds of social media. God’s character does not change. He is always loving, gracious, merciful, truthful, pure, just, and holy. He has created us in His image, which means who we are is based on who He is. Therefore, our true identity will always and only be found in Him.
We get ourselves in trouble when we try and define ourselves by anything other than who Jesus created us to be. As soon as anything in our lives becomes more significant than God, we are in danger of suffering an identity crisis. You must understand your value is never going to be found in how much money you accumulate, with how much “stuff” you surround yourself, or how far up the social ladder you climb. Your value will always be found in who God says you are. He calls you His child and tells you how much you are loved. The apostle Paul acknowledged we are more than conquerors (Romans 8:31-39). We cannot be defeated by circumstances in this life. In Christ, we can overcome any obstacle or trial. We are joint heirs with Jesus to everything God owns (Romans 8:17). Put simply, we are God’s child and nothing on earth can ever take our identity in Him away from us (Romans 8:38-39).
My heart aches for a generation who find their identity in the fleeting things of this world. When we base our worth on anything other than Jesus, we are destined to fall. We will be hurt and there is no hope. Only when you discover your true worth is in the unshakeable character of God and begin to understand you are who He alone says you are will you begin to find peace and rest for your soul. This world will let you down. Jesus never will. Followers will come and go but Jesus will stick closer than a brother throughout your life (Proverbs 18:24). Don’t be deceived by the devil. Don’t be swayed by the trends of culture. Your true worth is found in Jesus. He loves you and is calling you to Him today.