In my Spiritual Formation classes at Payne Seminary I tell my students that a main emphasis in my church is on helping our people understand their identity in Christ. The Pauline idea of "in Christ" is used, with variations, 180 times in his letters. One could argue that Paul's central idea is what it means to have Christ, the hope of glory, in you.
God spoke to one of my students about reclaiming their true identity,
and to not allow this world's values to define them. This is important, since
the core question of the spiritual life is "Who do I belong to?"
Whose am I?
One of the false ways we are tempted to measure our identities is by our
productivity. Henri Nouwen, in Spiritual Formation: Following the Movements
of the Spirit, writes:
"A life without a quiet center easily becomes delusional. When we cling to
the results of our actions as our only way of self-identification, we become
possessive, defensive, and dependent on false identities. In the solitude of
prayer we slowly unmask the illusion of our dependencies and possessiveness,
and discover in the center of our own self that we are not what we can control
or conquer, but what is given to us from above to channel to others. In solitary
prayer we become aware that our identity does not depend on what we have
accomplished or possess, that our productivity does not define us, and that our
worth is not the same as our usefulness." (P. 19)
I am in Christ.
I am his "beloved" and he is mine.
My worth is not the same as my usefulness, since I am God's child.
My productivity, or lack thereof, does not define me.
I am set free from the punishing, hierarchical
honor-shame systems of my surrounding culture.
