Are You Having an Identity Crisis?
Psalms 8
Jim Davis
Many are experiencing what theorist Erik
Erikson called an identity crisis.
He believed it was one of the most important conflicts people face in
healthy development.
Have you ever questioned your own
identity? Today many are unsure
of their role in life. An identity crisis is a time of
intensive analysis and exploration of different ways of looking at oneself.
In the sixties the Esalen institute in
California was one of the nations leading laboratories of the human
potential movement. At the
Esalen Institute a series of intense human explorations got underway. It was
a hands-off gathering place for social outlaws experimenting with LSD,
Eastern meditation and in-your-face encounter groups. They sought to explore
and expand themselves as they challenged traditional beliefs and values.
It was a place where yogis gathered to live in
animal skin yurts mediating as they were breathing and bending to deepen
their awareness of their Divine Inner Self. Artists gathered painting
mandalas of doves, dolphins and goddesses which they believed to be
unconscious expression of one’s true self. Others gathered lounging around
on pillows as they sought to interpret one another’s dreams in an effort to
unlock an understanding of self. (Teresa Watanbe http://articles.latimes.com/2004/sep/05/magazine/tm-esalen36)
This mainstream movement for
self-potential and self-identity has faded over the last five decades and
has given rise to a new surge of self-identity. Initially,
the movement begins with self-discovery. Over the past five decades the
self-discovery method has given way to claiming an identity of our own
choosing.
Researcher James Marcia believes the
balance between identity and confusion lies in making a commitment to an
identity. First we must
determine who we are and make a commitment to it. Once we choose an identity
the natural outcome is that we begin shaping our lives around our chosen
identity. We contemplate our looks, our
money, our possessions or our jobs. We seek to identify with Hollywood
models; we choose designer clothes to image self.
Looking back through old family pictures
is comical. You see how you
dressed twenty years ago. The social identities we chose seem silly today.
Notice how young people are wearing pants down around their knees. How silly
will they think this looks twenty years from now?
It is all about defining ourselves.
Plastic surgery is doing wonders
today. We can enlarge it, shrink it, alter it, reassign it or just simply
delete it. Whatever identity we commit to we can change into it. There is a
National Gender Identity Clinic in London, which oversees many seeking
gender reassignment.
BBC News headline reads: “An American man
who was born female but subsequently underwent gender reassignment has given
birth to a girl, US media have reported.
Thomas Beatie, 34, is legally male but kept his
female reproductive organs after having breast surgery to remove glands and
flatten his chest.”
Mr. Beatie had the baby but is determined to be
the baby’s dad rather than the mother. I can only hope the child is not as
confused as I am. Thomas wanted to be a man, but kept all his/her
reproductive organs because someday he wanted to have a baby. It sounds as
though he still has an identity crisis. He’s reassigned,
enlarged and deleted some of his organs to become a male, but wants to
retain his/her ability to have children. He wants to be the father of the
child rather than the mother.
It took nine doctors and a life-threatening
ectopic pregnancy before Beatie became successfully pregnant. He wrote that
it felt "incredible. Despite the fact that my belly is growing with a new
life inside me, I am stable and confident being the man I am. In a technical
sense, I see myself as my own surrogate, though my gender identity as male
is constant."
Our True Identity
Change is the buzzword of the day.
Even the church of our Lord is having an identity crisis. She is seeking to
redefine herself through the traditional or the contemporary. Often
erroneous points of doctrine become the defining characteristic of a group.
One can only wonder if the kind of change we
seek holds us back from real change. Before contemplating the beliefs
of one group or another it is imperative that I understand my place in it
all.
Those coming to Christ in the first century came
to grips with their identity.
1 Corinthians 6:9-11
9 Do you not know that the wicked will not
inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral
nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders
10 nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers
will inherit the kingdom of God. 11 And that is what some of you were. But
you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the
Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God. NIV
Jesus never laughed at the homosexual, male prostitutes—sinners. This is
what they were—of course some were having difficulty shedding their chosen
identities for real change. This is what the book of First Corinthians is
about. Paul really sums up the problems of the Corinthian church in these
verses. They failed to forge beyond the self chosen lifestyles to allow God
to recreate their lives into the image of Christ.
Jesus wouldn’t laugh at Thomas Beates. He would simply help him reclaim his
God given identity. Amazingly, Jesus didn’t go to Rome to protest the gay
movement—which was actually in full swing among the Caesars and rulers of
his day. He didn’t go to Rome in an effort to legislate morality. He began
his ministry simply winning one heart at a time. He simply invited them to
reclaim their God given identity. He washed them. He sanctified them. He
justified them as they turned from their false identities to embrace the
salvation he offered through a relationship with God.
The psalmist peers beyond the starry sky as he contemplates his place in it
all.
Psalms 8:1-9
O LORD, our Lord,
how majestic is your name in all the earth!
You have set your glory
above the heavens.
2 From the lips of children and infants
you have ordained praise
because of your enemies,
to silence the foe and the avenger.
3 When I consider your heavens,
the work of your fingers,
the moon and the stars,
which you have set in place,
4 what is man that you are mindful of him,
the son of man that you care for him?
5 You made him a little lower than the
heavenly beings
and crowned him with glory and honor.
6 You made him ruler over the works of your
hands;
you put everything under his feet:
7 all flocks and herds,
and the beasts of the field,
8 the birds of the air,
and the fish of the sea,
all that swim the paths of the seas.
9 O LORD, our Lord,
how majestic is your name in all the earth!
NIV
The psalm is attributed to David. Perhaps he contemplates this
psalm as a young boy out in the pastures as he guards his sheep through the
night. Perhaps he is lying on a grassy hillside. In the darkness of night he
peers into the starry host. Shooting stars streak the sky. He observes the
heights of the established order in heaven. In worshipful mediation over the
breathtaking view—he asks. What is man? What are we doing here? He is only a
shepherd boy, but he concludes he has a God given place. God is mindful of
him. He sees his place on earth as the crowning act of God’s creation. He is
lower than angels but crowned with glory and honor. The psalmist cries out,
“O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!”
His mind is undoubtedly drawn to these scriptures as he peers into the
heavens.
Genesis 1:1-5
1:1 In the beginning God created the heavens
and the earth. 2 Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the
surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.
3 And God said, "Let there be light," and
there was light. 4 God saw that the light was good, and he separated the
light from the darkness. 5 God called the light "day," and the darkness he
called "night." And there was evening, and there was morning — the first
day. NIV
Genesis 1:14-19
14 And God said, "Let there be lights in the
expanse of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them serve as
signs to mark seasons and days and years, 15 and let them be lights in the
expanse of the sky to give light on the earth." And it was so. 16 God made
two great lights — the greater light to govern the day and the lesser light
to govern the night. He also made the stars. 17 God set them in the expanse
of the sky to give light on the earth, 18 to govern the day and the night,
and to separate light from darkness. And God saw that it was good. 19 And
there was evening, and there was morning — the fourth day. NIV
Genesis 1:26-28
26 Then God said, "Let us make man in our
image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the
birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the
creatures that move along the ground."
27 So God created man in his own image,
in the image of God he created him;
male and female he created them.
As David peers into the heavens he is
sure of who he is, why he is there and how he got there—by the works of
God’s hands. He understands he
bears the image of God. This is his identity. The only difficulty he seems
to have with it all is how did God bestow such glory and honor upon the
weakest of his creation. Why would he choose to manifest his power through
the weakest of his creation?
David seeks to discover his place in the
universal order of everything—he was discovering himself.
He went beyond his own mind to discover he was in the mind of God in
creation. He is lower than angels; crowned with glory and honor. The honor
God bestowed upon him in creation is far beyond any identity he could create
for himself. He shares in the glory of God as he does the work of
God—herding sheep.
Psalms 8:6-8
6 You made him ruler over the works of your
hands;
you put everything under his feet:
7 all flocks and herds,
and the beasts of the field,
8 the birds of the air,
and the fish of the sea,
all that swim the paths of the seas.
The psalmist understands from the eternal order that he has a very
unique place in the universe. His species has dominion over all
earth’s resources. He has the capacity to rule over the earth—over flocks,
herds, beasts of the field, birds of the air, fish of the sea, all that swim
in the vast oceans. This is his God given identity.
The psalmist not only sees himself in the earthly dimension. His life has an
eternal dimension. He peers out beyond the sun, moon and stars. He sees the
God beyond time and space. The universe and everything in it is a work of
his hands. The eternal God has placed him in a position a little below the
heavenly beings, yet, crowned him with glory and honor.
The culture, the dress or the job which enshrouded David was merely the
backdrop to his earthly life. None of these defined his identity. He saw his
life against the backdrop of all creation. His life went beyond a
self-imposed identity. He sought to accept the fact he was created by God to
be who he was. The defining moments of his life was when his heart was in
tune with God’s heart.
The psalmist cries out, “O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name
in all the earth!” If an eternal God created us. It means we have an
eternal purpose in his plan. The psalmist asks, “What is man that you are
mindful of him . . .?” He feels dwarfed in the scheme of creation but sees
himself as the crowning act of all creation.
Throughout the psalms the writers are contemplating their place in it
all.
Psalms 103:15-16
15 As for man, his days are like grass,
he flourishes like a flower of the field;
16 the wind blows over it and it is gone,
and its place remembers it no more. NIV
Thousands of years separate us from the psalmist, but we feel the
same. We have the same longings. We know we will wither and die.
Yet, we recognize our place of dominion on earth as we contemplate the
grandeur of it all. This dominion is a God given place of honor. No higher
honor exists among God’s creation. The momentary nature of our lives is
overshadowed by an eternal glory.
Why Are We Having an
Identity Crisis?
Why are we having an identity crisis—we
are LOST!! We have lost a true
sense of our identity! We have lost a sense of who we are, why we are here
and who gave us the place we occupy. Jesus came to seek and save the lost.
Salvation history emphasizes our kinship with God. Jesus was
begotten of God. His favorite title for himself was “son of man.” Run the
reference through a Bible concordance. It may surprise you. Jesus was
conceived of the Holy Spirit, but he was born as the son of man.
Jesus came to help us reclaim our kinship with God. Jesus was
not only the son of man; he was also the Son of God. The religious leaders
took issue with Jesus when he was referred to as the Son of God. But
essentially Jesus told them they were also sons and daughters of God.
John 10:33-36
33 "We are not stoning you for any of
these," replied the Jews, "but for blasphemy, because you, a mere man, claim
to be God."
34 Jesus answered them, "Is it not written
in your Law, 'I have said you are gods '? 35 If he called them 'gods ,' to
whom the word of God came — and the Scripture cannot be broken— 36 what
about the one whom the Father set apart as his very own and sent into the
world? Why then do you accuse me of blasphemy because I said, 'I am God's
Son'? NIV
Jesus references psalm 82.
Psalms 82:6-7
6 "I said, 'You are "gods";
you are all sons of the Most High.'
7 But you will die like mere men;
you will fall like every other ruler." NIV
The psalmist sees the rulers of Israel as “gods” who were given the
responsibility of ruling in God’s stead on earth. God has conferred this
exercise of power upon the rulers. As his delegates they bear his image as
they rule in his stead.
2 Chronicles 19:4-7
4 Jehoshaphat lived in Jerusalem, and he
went out again among the people from Beersheba to the hill country of
Ephraim and turned them back to the LORD, the God of their fathers. 5 He
appointed judges in the land, in each of the fortified cities of Judah. 6
He told them, "Consider carefully what you do, because you are not
judging for man but for the LORD, who is with you whenever you give a
verdict. 7 Now let the fear of the LORD be upon you. Judge
carefully, for with the LORD our God there is no injustice or partiality or
bribery." NIV
The story of Joseph reveals how he was promoted by the Pharaoh of
Egypt. He is second only to the Pharaoh. He bears the pharaoh’s
signet ring to give the Pharaoh’s stamp of approval on his decisions. There
was no one greater other than the Pharaoh himself. Do you know why Joseph
was so successful? God was at the center of who he was—he never lost his
identity with God.
Genesis 39:6-10
Now Joseph was well-built and handsome, 7
and after a while his master's wife took notice of Joseph and said, "Come to
bed with me!"
8 But he refused. "With me in charge," he
told her, "my master does not concern himself with anything in the house;
everything he owns he has entrusted to my care. 9 No one is greater in this
house than I am. My master has withheld nothing from me except you, because
you are his wife. How then could I do such a wicked thing and sin against
God ?" 10 And though she spoke to Joseph day after day, he refused to go to
bed with her or even be with her. NIV
Joseph was sold into slavery and served a seven year prison sentence
for something he didn’t do. A world of pain was forced upon Joseph.
It had so altered his appearance his brothers had no clue they were dealing
with Joseph. When he revealed himself to his brothers they were afraid.
Genesis 50:19-21
19 But Joseph said to them, "Don't be
afraid. Am I in the place of God? 20 You intended to harm me, but God
intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of
many lives. 21 So then, don't be afraid. I will provide for you and your
children." And he reassured them and spoke kindly to them. NIV
Joseph sought to understand the glorious position God had given him.
Genesis 41:50-52
51 Joseph named his firstborn Manasseh and
said, "It is because God has made me forget all my trouble and all my
father's household." 52 The second son he named Ephraim and said, "It is
because God has made me fruitful in the land of my suffering." NIV
It makes no difference whether we are herding sheep or ruling as kings
and queens, we rule in God’s stead—we are God’s children. Whatever
happens in our lives God uses it to mold us into his image of us. This is
the glory and honor God has placed upon each person on earth. The best way
to honor God is to fill your place on earth as you are filled with the
fullness of God. Paul prayed to this for the Ephesians.
Ephesians 3:17-19
And I pray that you, being rooted and
established in love, 18 may have power, together with all the saints, to
grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, 19 and to
know this love that surpasses knowledge — that you may be filled to the
measure of all the fullness of God. NIV
Christianity is about God resurrecting God’s creation to the identity
he gave each of us in creation. He is seeking to restore his image
upon our hearts as he fills us with his fullness through Christ.
Colossians 2:9-12
9 For in Christ all the fullness of
the Deity lives in bodily form, 10 and you have been given fullness in
Christ, who is the head over every power and authority. 11 In him
you were also circumcised, in the putting off of the sinful nature, not with
a circumcision done by the hands of men but with the circumcision done by
Christ, 12 having been buried with him in baptism and raised with him
through your faith in the power of God, who raised him from the dead. NIV
We are made in God’s image, but the image is distorted when God is
absent. Baptism is not a religious ritual. It is the place where God
stamps his image on our hearts anew as he sends the Holy Spirit into our
hearts to recreate us into his image (Acts 2:42). It is the place where a
penitent sinner gives self over to God. It is the place where God
spiritually circumcises our hearts as he cuts through the sin in our lives
layer by layer to allow his image to shine through.
Conclusion:
Ian Usher sold his life on Ebay.
He wanted to move on to a new life. He went through a divorce and found it
hard to move on. So he decided to sell his old life, i.e. everything—house,
cars, motorcycles, clothes, memorabilia—literally everything he possessed to
the highest bidder. He’s seeking a new life. His life sold for $328,000 he
wanted $500,000. It shouldn’t amaze you that someone bought his “old life.”
Apparently, the person who bought it was also looking for a life.
What Ian Usher is doing sounds a little
ridiculous, but it is akin to what we must do to reclaim the identity and
kinship we have with God.
I don’t know what my life would bring on
EBay. I do know what it is worth
in God’s order--the price of his only begotten Son.
Luke 9:23-27
23 Then he said to the
crowd, "If any of you wants to be my follower, you must put aside your
selfish ambition, shoulder your cross daily, and follow me. 24 If you try
to keep your life for yourself, you will lose it. But if you give up your
life for me, you will find true life. 25 And how do you benefit if you gain
the whole world but lose or forfeit your own soul in the process? 26 If a
person is ashamed of me and my message, I, the Son of Man, will be ashamed
of that person when I return in my glory and in the glory of the Father and
the holy angels. 27 And I assure you that some of you standing here right
now will not die before you see the Kingdom of God." NLT
Remember James Marcia said the balance
between identity and confusion lies in making a commitment to an identity.
First we must determine who we are and make a commitment to it. Identifying
with God through Jesus Christ is a commitment to an identity with eternal
consequences. It is a commitment to God’s original intent for our lives. We
can choose to work hard at creating our own identity or accept the one God
gave us in creation.
