There is an Identity crisis issue going on in the world today and knowing who one is, is very crucial as 2017 ends and 2018 begins. The Identity crisis issue is quite big, but for this short reflection I will look at it from the angle of comparisons which in itself is a very distracting and destructive thing to engage in.
Comparing oneself to another is a dangerous poison, that should be avoided at all costs. It blinds one to;
who you are, your uniqueness, talents, gifts, blessing, anoiting, achievements and overall your purpose. It arouses envy, jealousy, bitterness, discontentment, greed, and hatred. It disables one’s capacity to relate freely in love clogging up one’s love system and It steals one’s joy and peace. It makes you think you are worthless and all you now strive for is the other person’s life which you can actually never have.
This is a weapon satan is using to derail so many believers. You see when you compare yourself to another, you are devaluing your unique self and transferring that value to another. You diminish the beauty of God’s blessing in your life . Its good to add value to another but not transfer it to another.
When one compares oneself to another what one sees and covets is the title, position, privileges, anoiting possessions, looks, gifting, ability etc. But what one does not see is the other person’s daily struggles, the cost in praying, fasting, working hard, suffering, struggles, tears, joys, process etc that they have gone through and go through daily.
If I flip it the other side, one does not see all the secret covens this person belongs to, the blood sacrifices they have to keep making, the agony of their soul, the sleepless nights due to demonic torments, the lies they have to tell, their end result if Christ does not intervene. The outside picture does not always tell the full story. In order to have what the one you are comparing yourself to has, you would need to have their whole life experience good and bad and believe me not many people would want that.
The most dangerous outcome of comparing oneself to another is that many have derailed and gone astray from the path God planned for them. In pursuing what another has, destinies have been destroyed and Identities confused and messed up, wrong life decisions have been made and relationships have been destroyed. However it does not have to be that way.
There is an antidote to this poison and all its negative effects and it is the Word of God (2Tim3:16-17).
In His Word you discover who you really are which is your Identity (Gen 1:27), why are you here which is your Purpose (Gen 1:28, Ps 40:7-8, 1Tim1:1) and what you are to do which is your destiny ( Jer 29:11, Hab2:3, Is 55:11, Who 2:10).
No one can tell you these things about yourself but the One who created you. Every human being was created Unique. There is no one else on this planet or elsewhere that is like you, even twins are each unique (Ps 139). Your voice intonations , fingerprints, body, eye, nose shapes, hair, mouth outline, your laugh,etc are all unique to you. Even when two people have the same gift or talent ie singing, the two can never sing exactly the same. They each hold the music notes differently when they sing. So you see you have no competition. You are an authentic master piece that cannot be copied because the One that has the blueprint of your complete make up is God Himself who is not about to float it to the higest bidder. You do not need to be a duplicate. God has never, can never, will never and does not make mistakes. If there is an Identity crisis going on in you, that means the manual which is the Word of God the Holy Bible has been ignored and cast aside. Just like one cannot use an electric kettle on firewood but follow the manual it’s inventor put in place in order to enjoy the benefits of the electric kettle, one must follow the Creator’s manual- His Word, in order to live an authentic purposeful and fulfilling life meant for the unique you.
“Make a careful exploration of who you are and the work you have been given, and then sink yourself into that. Don’t be impressed with yourself. Dont compare yourself with others. Each of you must take responsibility for doing the creative best you can with your own life”( Gal 6:4-5, MSG). The NLT version says it this way;
“Pay careful attention to your own Work, for then you will get the satisfaction of a job well done, and you won’t need to compare yourself to anyone else”.Galatians 6:4-5
Knowing who I’m from the One that created me has been so settling and has shaped my yielding to God’s Purpose for my life (Gal 2:20).
The unique you has unique value and a unique purpose, so I pray for you;
Choose to live uniquely following the unique path and doing the unique things that only you can do. This way you will have a unique impact on the world and leave a unique imprint on those that have been placed in your path. At the end of it all you will leave a very unique legacy.
