{Be Loving} 3 Steps to Unlocking Joy
“Understanding (y)our identity in Christ changes everything.”
I heard words like this countless times in sermons and books…all I had to do is understand, or begin to understand, and everything would change. As a new Christian, I was hungry to know and desperate for change as someone who spent their life without Jesus and spent every effort into making up my own identity. I devoured Scripture and googled verses all about my identity in Christ and what that meant. References and bible studies galore, and then I found this that seemed to spell it out quite simply (this is just a short list so if you do want to know more about your identity in Christ, I would also suggest studying up because there is a ton of information out there!):
After I read that my first thought were: I am all of these things?…that can’t be right…this is what He says about me?…how could He say all of that about me??? I was overwhelmed! My thoughts were conflicted by what I believed before about myself apart from Christ and trying to take in all these wonderful things.
This was good news and then MORE good news but I still felt that pull in my soul to identity myself with other things…with my work, what I do (and how well I do it), who I am in community with, etc.
Over the next couple years and up until now, identity is something I have struggled with and struggled with some more. The world surrounds you and shouts all sorts of messages about who you are so loudly that we forget sometimes that God is right there too, speaking greater things over us.
We are His Beloved.
“Being the Beloved expressed the core truth of existence… Though the experience of being the Beloved has never been completely absent from my life, I never claimed it as my core truth. I kept running around it in large and small circles, always looking for someone or something able to convince me of my Belovedness. I kept refusing to the hear the voice that speaks from the very depth of my being that says: “You are my Beloved, on you my favor rests.” That voice has always been there, but it seems that I was much more eager to listen to other, louder voices saying: “Prove that you are worth something, do something relevant, spectacular, or powerful, and then you will earn the love you so desire.” // Henri Nouwen, Life of the Beloved as quoted by Davis Lomas, The Truest Thing About You
So how do we unlock joy in our lives?
1. Claim belovedness. At the root of who we are is our identity. What we think about ourselves outflows into every aspect of our life. It’s a big deal to have the proper perspective of ourselves in Christ and shouldn’t be overlooked!
2. Do not refuse to hear His voice. This seems obvious right? Don’t ignore God? Got it. But how many times do we start to believe lies about ourselves and who we are – ugly, stupid, worthless, unimportant, unlovable, the list goes on and on. It’s so easy in fact, that we will find ourselves wrapped up in the enemy’s lies unwilling to hear anything else. This means it may not be a conscious ignoring of refusal to hear God over the enemy and we need to be aware! When you’re in those moments of believing a lie, stop and align yourself with Heaven. He brings life, the enemy brings death.
3. Be eager to listen to His voice and all He tells you over the often louder voices. Read Scripture, pray, and listen. Be so sure of His voice that tells you you are His beloved before anything else. Be ready to fight other voices that tell you differently – they are lies and have no place in your life.
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You might be sitting there wondering how does knowing I’m His beloved unlock joy in my life when the real question is how does it NOT? Understanding your identity in Christ unlocks joy in your life. It frees you to be truly you, without fear. It calls us out of timidity into boldness.
When we are confident in who He says we are, all the other stuff falls away. This is a constant and continual fight to look at Jesus and listen to Him no matter what. It’s not always easy but it is simple. Lock eyes with Him. Imagine what would happen when you no longer feel the need to prove your importance, or when you know that you are loved without doing anything to earn it? How would the world as you know it shift?
All that you imagine is something you can step into.
There’s no better time than now.
