Letting Go of False Identities
“I once thought these things were valuable, but now I consider them worthless because of what Christ has done.”
The fourth-century theologian and philosopher St Augustine suggests that we are often oppressed by our own ‘disordered loves’ in which we love good things in the wrong order - taking our identity from things other than God, a weight only God can bear. In doing so, we restrict our freedom and can hurt ourselves and others.
In the journey towards freedom, we must confront the challenge of letting go of false identities. Once defined by achievements and external markers of success, Paul underwent a radical transformation - realising that those things were worthless compared to the love of God.
Consider your own life. What false identities might you be looking to for worth and validation?
Are there societal expectations that have subtly influenced how you see yourself? Or even good things in the wrong order - ‘disordered loves’ that cannot handle the weight of Godhood, that you can release to be good things and not your ultimate source of value?
Today, embrace the truth that you are a beloved child of God, not because of anything you may do, have or be - but because of who He is. As you release the weight of other expectations and false identities, you will discover the freedom that comes from being fully known and accepted by a loving God.
Do you need to rearrange any loves?