Note: Excerpts from Identity & Self-Image by June Hunt in the Keys for Living library

The topic of identity reminds me of a tale about an eagle . . .

A little eaglet falls to the ground from its nest and is found by a family of turkeys. They take the helpless bird under their wings and teach him everything he needs to know to survive. But the more he grows, the less he looks like them.

He tries hard to be a good turkey, but he’s unhappy. On several occasions, he sees mature eagles soaring high in the sky. Crushed and defeated, the eaglet grows up without ever leaving the ground.

One day, a wise owl says to him, “Who are you? What are you doing?” The eagle replies, “I am a bad turkey. I try so hard, but I just can’t do anything right.” The owl says, “Your problem is that you don’t know who you are. You’re an eagle, and eagles are meant for the sky.”

The eagle’s eyes are opened. He sees who he really is . . . who he is meant to be. The eagle finds the courage to try something he’s never done before. He stretches out his wings and flaps to the top of a tree to see his way to the sky. Lifting his wings, he rises with the currents of the wind—and he never looks back. The eagle can now do what he is meant to do . . . because he knows who he really is.

This little tale reminds me that confusion about your identity can impact your destiny. The whole trajectory of your life can be affected when you don’t understand who God created you to be.

Defining Identity

If someone were to ask: “Who are you?” . . . What would you say? Most of us would state our name and then describe ourselves by what we do, by our profession: “I’m a teacher.” “I’m an accountant.” “I’m in sales.” But what happens if you can no longer teach or no longer work as an accountant or a salesperson? Is that really who you are?

Thankfully, name tags, professions, and pedigrees are never necessary with God. He has no need to ask who you are because He knows you even better than you know yourself. He formed your heart and fashioned you Himself.

Do you know the first thing God says about humanity—about you? It’s perhaps the most important truth to know about your identity and your worth: “God said, ‘Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness . . .’ So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them” (Genesis 1:26–27).

You are made in God’s image—it’s the first thing God tells you . . . about you. This truth is foundational to your identity, self-image, and worth. The Bible describes God as infinitely beautiful, glorious, and majestic. There is nothing greater than God. And you are made in His image! You therefore have inherent, unchanging, and immeasurable worth.

When you are “found in him,” everything changes. The identity you receive in Christ far outweighs any other identity you may have. Your gender, your family, your age, race, culture, school, job, accomplishments, status, and hobbies may all reveal important aspects about you—but they are not where your ultimate identity is found. Your identity is to be rooted in Christ.

Your Identity in Christ

You are loved.
“God loves you and has chosen you to be his own people” (1 Thessalonians 1:4 NLT).

You are chosen.
“Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes” (Ephesians 1:4 NLT).

You are accepted.
“Christ has accepted you so that God will be given glory” (Romans 15:7 NLT).

You are redeemed.
“But now, this is what the Lord says—he who created you . . . he who formed you . . . ‘Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine’” (Isaiah 43:1).

You are precious.
“You are precious to me. You are honored, and I love you” (Isaiah 43:4 NLT).

You are forgiven.
“You were dead because of your sins and because your sinful nature was not yet cut away. Then God made you alive with Christ, for he forgave all our sins” (Colossians 2:13 NLT).

You are cleansed.
“But you were cleansed; you were made holy; you were made right with God by calling on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God” (1 Corinthians 6:11 NLT).

You are renewed.
“Anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!” (2 Corinthians 5:17 NLT).

You are empowered.
“His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness” (2 Peter 1:3).

You are gifted.
“In his grace, God has given us different gifts for doing certain things well” (Romans 12:6 NLT).

You are useful.
“We are God’s handiwork created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do” (Ephesians 2:10).

You are blessed.
“All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ” (Ephesians 1:3 NLT).

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June Hunt, MA, is the Founder and Chief Servant Officer of Hope for the Heart, a worldwide counseling and caregiving ministry that offers Biblical hope and practical help in more than 60 countries and 36 languages. The Keys for Living Library provides the foundation for the ministry’s award-winning radio program, Hope in the Night, a live, one-hour, call-in counseling program. Her passion to help others through Biblical counsel is fueled by her joy in seeing a life changed through Christ. As an accomplished author, speaker, and musician, June has been a guest on various national television and radio programs, including the NBC Today show. She has toured overseas with the USO and has been a guest soloist with the Billy Graham Crusades. See more at: www.junehunt.org