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We each have a unique identity; fingerprints, face recognition and DNA. But philosophically and spiritually what is it that people identify with in their search for purpose, wholeness, and happiness? And will their pursuit ultimately bring them the wholeness that they desire?
People have a heart’s desire to belong, but ultimately they can choose with which kingdom they belong too and identify with. Do you identify with the temporal kingdoms of this world or to the One Eternal Kingdom?
During the ‘70s, in a city of about 6,000 people having been arrested seven times for drunkenness, I was known as the town drunk. That was my identity.
In the early ‘80s I was diagnosed as being manic-depressed. I frequently experienced an extreme change in feelings resulting in extreme mood swings. This created a personal crisis in my life and I was admitted to a mental hospital.
You could say I was a twisted soul. The last three letters in twisted spell “Ted.” One’s past doesn’t need to define a person; one can have a new identity in the eyes of God as our Heavenly Father by trusting in His son Jesus Christ.
You can become a prince or princess in God’s Kingdom. All the temporal worldly kingdoms will one day come to an end, but Jesus’ Kingdom is eternal. Jesus said, “What does it profit a man if he gains the whole world yet loses or forfeits his soul” (Mark 8:36).
Today America is facing an identity crisis. We are seeing the results of what people are identifying with. Drug overdoses, incurable sex diseases, alcohol related deaths, adolescents with depression, gender dysphoria, mania and anxiety disorders.
Alcohol and drugs alter the way we think and make us feel. Being taught lies and believing them can alter the way we think and feel as well. We need to sift through all the lies being propagated in our nation today.
What is your identity? Politics, gender, electronic devices, food, feelings, entertainment, a religious denomination, your wealth? We are becoming more self-oriented. Jesus was other-oriented.
“What the world needs is not a Christian America but for Christians in America to be distinctively and authentically Christian,” Carman LaBerge said.
Jesus spoke the truth about the Kingdom to the tax collectors and sinners. He didn’t party with them. Jesus commissioned us to feed the hungry, clothe the naked and to attend to those who are sick and in prison.
Are you having a personal crisis in your life? The process of sanctification is a process that takes time to get untwisted. Instead of dwelling on the things that make us fearful and worried, minister to those who are experiencing those very things.
As Christians we need once again to follow Jesus who made the seven “I Am” claims (John 6:35; 8:12, 9:5; 10:7,9; 10:11,14;11:25;14:6; 15:1,5). That is how we will overcome crisis and have purpose, wellness, and happiness. Let’s start getting untwisted.
Ted Roberts
Princeton