How to Build Your Identity in Christ
It was a beautiful, sunny afternoon, the kind of day that feels perfect for baseball. The sky was clear, the field was buzzing with energy, and I was excited to watch my sixteen-year-old son, Nathan, play the first district game of the season.
He had started the game at first base, but partway through, the coach made a sudden decision to change pitchers.
Nathan stepped onto the mound focused and confident, and threw a strike.
The few parents who were in the stands cheered.
Bases were loaded. The pressure was high.
I watched and waited for two more strikes, but then, in a split second, everything changed.
There was an overthrow during the next play at home plate, and Nathan ran in to cover it. He crouched low, ready to tag the runner the moment the ball reached his glove.
But the runner came charging in, full force.
The collision was immediate.
Nathan fell backward and instinctively covered his face.
At first, I thought maybe he had just been knocked out… or that the sun had gotten to him. But he didn’t get up.
Within seconds, coaches and players rushed to his side. From where I was sitting, I couldn’t see clearly what was happening.
Then he slowly sat up—and I saw it.
Blood was pouring from his mouth.
One of the coaches handed him water to rinse and spit, but the bleeding wouldn’t stop.
In that moment, everyone knew something was seriously wrong.
Someone called for a parent in the stands.
Suddenly, I was sprinting to the dugout completely unprepared for what I was about to face.
The next thing I knew, I was driving him to the ER.
He sat beside me in the passenger seat, unable to speak, tears streaming down his face. He held two very cold water bottles against his cheeks in lieu of ice. He was worried about the blood on his jersey and about staining the car seats and I told him it was the least of our worries.
Through the pain, he kept asking me to drive slowly. Every turn, every slight movement of the car made the pain unbearable.
It was a moment I will never forget.
We arrived at the ER and learned that Nathan had fractured his lower jaw. What followed were two nights in the hospital and a serious oral surgery to repair his jaw with plates and screws.
Since then, he’s been in recovery. And so much of his normal life has been put on hold for at least 6-8 weeks.
He was looking forward to this season. Especially playing alongside the graduating seniors for the last time. But just like that, his season was over before it ever began.
No more baseball.
No running, no jumping, no shooting hoops in the driveway, no swimming, no lifting weights.
Even eating changed—only liquids, nothing that required chewing. Simple joys, like going to his favorite restaurants, suddenly became off-limits.
He loves church. Every Sunday, he faithfully serves in kids ministry. But even that had to pause for a season.
He’s also a strong student. Missing nearly three weeks of school brought a new kind of fear. Would he lose the grades he had worked so hard to maintain?
And on top of it all, the collision caused a concussion. Light and sound became overwhelming. He tired easily. He had to wear glasses indoors just to manage the sensitivity.
In a moment, so many of the things he loved, the things that filled his days, shaped his routine, and gave him a sense of purpose were quickly taken away.
And it makes you stop and ask:
When the things you do and love are stripped away…who are you?
That question isn’t just for him.
It’s for all of us.
Who are we when our appearance, achievements, social status, health, income, activities, routine, or family dynamic changes?
So often, we try to build our identity on these things and we look to these things to tell us who we are. But when these things disappear, fade, or are suddenly taken away it is like we have lost our footing.
That is why it is important to build our identity in Christ. What that means is anchoring our worth in what God says about us. Not in what the world says, or even how we feel.
God calls us His children—and there is no higher identity than that.
John 1:12 says, “To all who did receive Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God.”
This is not something we earn. It is our right and our privilege through Christ.
The Creator of the universe calls us His own. Let that sink in.
When our identity is rooted in Christ, we won’t be shaken when circumstances change.
History shows us that when people build their identity on temporary things, everything falls apart when those things are taken away. During the Great Depression, many who had built their identity on wealth lost not just their money, but their sense of purpose.
Even in spiritual spaces, it’s possible to misplace our identity. Some people define themselves by what they’ve done for God. The Pharisees did this. They found their identity in their works and their self-righteousness.
A believer's identity is not based on his past, performance, or feelings.
It doesn’t rise and fall with success or failure.
It doesn’t change with the seasons of life.
It remains steady.
Think about gold. It is one of the most valuable elements, not just because it is beautiful, but because it is unchanging. You can put it through fire, freeze it, or crush it. Yet its essence remains the same. Its value is not diminished by pressure or process.
In the same way, when your identity is rooted in Christ, it remains secure—no matter what you walk through.
Identity is not something you create. It is something you discover within the pages of God's Word.
Here are some scriptures that tell you who you are.
You are a new creation. 2 Cor 5:7
You are God's masterpiece. Eph 2:10
You are valuable to God. Matt 10:31
You are fearfully and wonderfully made. Psalm 139:13-14
You are sons and daughters of God. Gal 3:26
You are God's special possession. 1 Pet 2:9
If you want to go deeper, I’ve put together 100 Scripture-based affirmations. Click here to access them.
Let God’s Word be the voice that defines you. Refuse to believe anything that contradicts what He says about you.
He calls you loved, chosen, strong, capable, and courageous.
Let His truth shape your identity.
And watch how it transforms your life.
