Identity is Vital
On a recent trip to a children’s ranch in Montana, I had the opportunity to pour into some students’ lives. It again became evident to me the importance of securing our identity with Christ. Establishing our identity as a child of God from an early age is so important, which leads me to the role of parents in a child’s life.
In Deuteronomy 4:9-10, the Word of God sends a great warning to His people not to forget what He had done for them. He goes on to impress the idea of teaching His history to their children and then to their children. The history He is speaking of is not just the delivery from bondage in Egypt, but also is who they are in Him (their identity). When this happens, the text says they will revere the Lord as long as they live.
Parents’ God-given role is to teach their children all that the Lord has done in their lives, reminding their children who created them and for what purpose. This must be done from an early age, lest we not develop a Biblical worldview of our identity during our formative years. Leaving our children to figure it out on their own or from a dysfunctional, at best, educational system will lead to an identity crisis in their lives. When a child’s identity is not grounded on the Word of God early in life from God-honoring parents, they are left with more humanistic identities or, dare I say, evolutionary identities.
Starting in the last few years, we are seeing our youth and young adults reaping an identity crisis that, by and large, is from a parental failure. Not that their parents did not love them or care for them (even if that may have been the case in some instances), but the failure has come in the form of a few generations of people that do not love, honor or revere their Creator and Savior Jesus Christ. As each successive generation gets further and further away from their true identity in the Lord, the worse society and the world becomes to live in. When the God-given roles of parents are not reinforced and are replaced with non-Biblical affirmation, we are in trouble. We see it time and time again in the Word of God, and we are living it out again now.
Back to those students in Montana – the Lord has established such a great place for them to experience Godly love. Those students have the opportunity to see, hear and live with “parents” that are instilling in them a Biblical identity of who they are and will be as they devote their lives to the Lord. I count it an honor to have had a moment to impact those lives with the truth of who they are, as Image-bearers of their Creator, with a life full of hope and purpose.
Blessings to all of you who support this ministry month in and month out. Know that we are impacting generations for Him with His Truth.
