“You are…”

The stories flow with clarity, transparency and pain. Young people, from every region in our country, describe the personal travail of having their identities defined by friends and family who poison the promises of God.

Words emerge. Descriptions cascade. The narrative begins with, “You are…” and the catalog of what follows includes…

Worthless.
Loser.
Mistake.
Fatherless.
Addict.
Trash.
Homeless.
Unlovable.
Stupid.
Unwanted…

Identity, built on a foundation of lies; forged in the fire of abuse. Identity, edited from the pit of hell; amplified through the lips of those we value.

Identity theft started in the Garden of Eden.

“…you will be like God,”

Crafty and ruthless, the snake attacked identity. His strategy remains the same with relentless effort.

Any act of rebellion, any destructive addiction, any commitment to sin begins with an identity crisis.

Once in crisis, often from the damaging and destructive words of those close by, our hearts become receptive to lies, to deceit and to exploitation. From the lips of abusers and thieves come verbal candy to a hungry soul…

You are sexy.
Pretty.
Mine.
You are only valuable if you do…

At first the words revive, but they soon reveal the conditional and corrupt scheme of the perpetrator. Used, not loved. Merchandise.

Then God. But God.

But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, (Ephesians 2:4-6)

God has not lost His voice. He has not retreated. He fights on the battlefield of identity. He spilt the blood of His own Son to remind us who we are.

His words rebuild and restore and dignify. We are… You are… I am

His child.
Loved.
Light.
Salt.
Forgiven.
Celebrated.
A holy nation.
A royal priesthood.
His masterpiece.

Identity defined. Hope restored. A future secured.

There is no attack from Satan that will not assault our identity. Guilt and shame hijack our purpose; they cloud our vision of who we were created to be.

Fear not, our true identity is not hidden from God. He has not lost track of us. He has not misplaced the blueprint.

We are His. Created. Rescued. Redeemed. Commissioned. Entrusted.

Stories that begin with the ink of condemnation are not beyond the reach of the pen of our King. His truth overpowers the lies. He brings life, not condemnation.

We are…
You are…
I am…

See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. (1 John 3:1)

And so we are…