Who am I? Yesterday, we said that we are image-bearers of God. We are made in his likeness. We are like God – made in his likeness as rational, relational, occupational, recreational, moral beings. That is who we are. And we ought to live like it. But we need to make an important clarification:

I am a rational being, but I am not the sum of my learning.
I am a relational being, but I am not the sum of my relationships.
I am an occupational being, but I am not the sum of my work.
I am a recreational being, but I am not the sum of my vacations and holidays.
I am a moral being, but I am not the sum of my good behavior.

My identity is found in being an image-bearer of God. My identity is found in God, not in my learning, relationships, work, rest, or behavior. Those are all applications or out-workings of my identity, but they are not my identity.

If I look for my identity in these out-workings, and these out-workings are good – I have a lot of degrees, and good family with good friends, and a good job, and some killer vacations, and really good behavior – I am tempted toward pride. I begin to think I am better than others. But no, I am a creature made from the dust. I am an image-bearer of God.

If I look for my identity in these out-workings, and these out-workings are bad – I am not well-educated, and my relationships are a wreck, and I a have a dead-end job (or just lost my job), and I’ve never had a real vacation, and my past is a wreckage of poor choices – I am tempted to despair or depression. I feel like a loser. I must be worthless compared to those who have succeeded in these areas. But no, I am a creature made from the dust to be an image-bearer of God. That is who I am.

My identity is found in God as an image-bearer, not in my circumstances, accomplishments, or failures.