Wednesday, February 25, 2026

Bible in a Year: Psalms 57-59 | Acts 22

Who are you?

The world likes to answer that question by putting you in a box. Stereotypes, social class, color, and other worldly labels often define your identity.

I decided in the early ‘90s that establishing my identity, or defining myself, was solely a personal choice. Claiming ownership of my identity gave me a sense of control. It empowered me, and for a while it seemed to work.

But life has a way of exposing how fragile control really is, and when pride fuels self-reliance, the power we think we have can vanish.

You can’t turn to yourself when the struggle is real. Think about it: it’s you with you when you’re down in the dirt. At that point, you’d be happy to crawl back into the box the world put you in.

When our identity is shaped by shifting opinions and fragile outcomes, it will always feel uncertain. The world is quick to label us, and we’re quick to internalize it. And when our hope is rooted only in what we see or feel, it doesn’t take much for it to unravel.

But there is a bigger story unfolding.

Romans 8:18-19
Yet what we suffer now is nothing compared to the glory he will reveal to us later. For all creation is waiting eagerly for that future day when God will reveal who his children really are.

Paul’s message in Romans offers the unique perspective of someone who once inflicted the same pain he later suffered. Paul was known for relentlessly persecuting Christians - until Jesus completely changed his life. When he later experienced persecution himself, his bad times became fleeting moments because he understood the good in God’s eternal promise.

Scripture provides hope and changes perspective for those who believe in the power of God’s words. Seeing yourself as a child of God reinstates your true identity. It takes you beyond this world - you step out of your grave clothes.

What is dead will remain dead, which includes mistakes, sinful nature, judgment of others, limited beliefs, etc. You’ll begin to see that your perspective on suffering doesn’t align with God’s. You’ll acknowledge the pain of your feelings and circumstances, but you’ll also see the beauty in the struggle.

In that shift, you’ll begin to identify the real you; the one God defined long before the world tried to.

Questions:
Where do you find your identity? Where do you turn when it’s hard to believe that you have a place in God’s promises?

Next Steps:
Start being honest about your feelings and circumstances. Join a grief share group, find accountability partners, read and dissect Scripture with other Christians, and don’t be afraid to ask for prayer.

Prayer:
Dear God, I choose to believe that I am the person you created me to be. Help me live in my purpose and erase my doubts. I belong to you, Lord. I am a child of God, which means my identity isn’t limited to this world. I am chosen to be loved and to share the love you graciously give to me. Amen.

Series Theme Verse:

Colossians 3:10
Put on your new nature, and be renewed as you learn to know your Creator and become like him.

This post was written by Jaron Camp, a Findlay attendee and regular contributor to the Daily LivingItOut.