Have you ever made the mistake of defining yourself by others’ standards and then got so confused about your identity that you didn’t even know who you were anymore? As women, we often feel the external pressure to be people-pleasers. We seek approval from others and find validation from how well we fulfill others’ expectations. We can lose ourselves this way, but we won’t have to puff ourselves up when we learn who we are in Christ.
The apostle Paul thought he knew who he was outside of Christ. Paul glorified himself and boasted about all he had done. He patted himself on the back and took credit for the special privileges he’d earned until he met Jesus on the road. Ladies, this is the world we live in—one where we’re encouraged to brag, toot our own horn, and exalt ourselves.
Paul identified himself through his own performance. He focused completely on himself and didn’t give Christ any credit. After coming face-to-face with God’s grace, Paul realized the futility of defining himself through the Law of Moses. For us to avoid an identity crisis, we have to get out of ourselves and into Christ.
Paul, being a Jewish man, thought he had advantages and special rights. The truth is that no one in the New Testament has any advantage over anyone else because of their race, nationality, or gender. Being in Christ doesn’t put anyone at a disadvantage but gives everyone an opportunity to be immersed in the things of God.
This is important because, being female, we too often encounter the world’s efforts to limit us based on our gender. We can’t afford to see ourselves as the world sees us; we have to look at ourselves based on the way God sees us. Jesus had female as well as male disciples; God can use us just as well as He can use others. We’re God’s daughters who have been brought close to Him and made new!
The world still operates under the law, which was based on inequality. Identifying ourselves through Christ and the blood He shed for us unites us with Him. It erases all divisions and inequalities between males and females and puts us on equal footing. No longer do we have to be pigeonholed and limited; because of Jesus, we can break free from every restriction placed on us and be the people He made us to be.
Without God, we had no ability; now, we can go straight to Him to find out all the amazing things He has equipped us to do. In Him, gender inferiority and superiority don’t exist. Age, economic status, and income don’t matter either; now, we all have the right to boldly come before God and receive from Him.
We don’t have to feel like we’re competing with anyone, male or female. We don’t have to tolerate anyone looking down at us thinking we’re weak. Jesus has taken care of all that. His finished works united us together with Him so that, as God’s children, we can lean on each other’s strengths and be a better version of ourselves.
Ladies, our identity rests in Christ, not in our jobs, our achievements, or who people say we are. Many of us weren’t raised in church and therefore felt distant from Him, but we’ve been fused with God and the two have become one. We find ourselves and our purpose in Him. He has already approved and validated us, so don’t let the world’s rhetoric fool you!
