Our Identity

“Look around! All that stuff used to be money. And all that money used to be time.”

The simple truth is, that the more we have, the easier it is to become trapped in our clutter. And before we even realise it, our material possessions begin to define who we are. As a result, we become so obsessed and possessive about our things, because we fear that if we lose what we have, we will also lose who we are.

Why is it, that one of the first questions we ask when we meet someone is, “What do you do for a living?” And more often than not, their answer will make us form a perception about that person. We need to remind ourselves that a car guard can be an amazing person of integrity and faith, whereas a CEO of a Fortune 500 company, can be ruthless and show no interest in a fellow human being.  In fact, I have become great friends with Clifford, a car guard, since being back in South Africa. He has hardly any material possessions, yet he is filled with love and compassion. He loves God and choses to find his identity in Christ.

I have preached in countries where poverty is a major issue. But seeing it as a major issue is simply the way first world countries perceive it. Many people around the world who are poor, are actually far richer than billionairs out there. To begin with, they don’t have the fear of losing their stuff. They also have no way of finding their identity in things that they don’t have. My experience, is that they are so much more open to the Gospel, because there is not much holding them back. Maybe we can take a page out of their life story and apply it to ours.

Instead of thinking that we have it all worked out and that we need to pray for people in their poverty. We can rather ask them to pray for us in our prosperity. Because its not the material things that make us rich, but rather our relationship with Jesus Christ. The best thing we can do, is to find our identity in Him

Have an amazing day!