Identity
When I was growing up, my first hero was Luke Skywalker. I remember going to Southampton with my parents to watch the very first Star Wars in 1977. It blew me away!
It was all so real: the heroes, villains, creatures, spaceships and lightsabres. I wanted to be Luke Skywalker and go on an adventure like him!
A few years later I saw the film, ‘Raiders of the Lost Ark’, and I wanted to be Indianna Jones! I even bought a fedora hat – but not a whip.
As I grew into a teenager my heroes shifted from movies to music stars. I wanted to be Simon Le Bon, Howard Jones and Bono. I had the mullet and the vinyl records!
I then had my hair cut short and, with help from my dear Mum, died it jet black. I thought I was so cool! My head looked like a Duracell battery when my natural ginger colour began to grow back.
What was it about those years growing up? I was trying to discover who I was, and more significantly what was my identity.
People seek to find identity in all sorts of areas. It could be in a job / career, or in being a parent, or in a specific group, e.g. sport, music or Cosplay.
There is a tragic tale in the Old Testament about a man called Ahithophel. He was an advisor to King David and what he said was received as being from God.
David’s son Absalom rebelled against Him, and so David fled Jerusalem. However, David left a ‘mole’, called Hushai, in the city to give conflicting advice to Ahithophel.
On one occasion Absalom asked Hushai and Ahithophel what to do. They both gave their counsel, and Absalom did what Hushai said…
“When Ahithophel saw that his advice had not been followed, he saddled his donkey and set out for his house in his hometown. He put his house in order and then hanged himself. So he died and was buried in his father’s tomb.”
This was shocking and horrific. It stands as a dramatic warning! It seems to me that Ahithophel’s identity was wrapped up in his role.
When his advice was not acted upon, it hit him very hard, and this led Ahithophel to take his own life. What a terrible tragedy.
I believe that our true identity is found in how God sees us. This is a secure foundation.
All our circumstances change over time, so knowing who we are in God’s eyes is like a firm anchor, deep and strong.
God bless you :)
Gary Bastin - Hope Community Church leader