You Are Not Your Struggle

“But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain…”

-1 Corinthians 15:10

You Are Not Your Struggle

We all struggle with something. From anxiety, depression, fear, pride, lust, rejection by people, addiction to alcohol, drugs and more, every person deals with something they wish they didn’t. The tendency for us all is to make our struggle our identity. For instance, someone dealing with depression may think, “I am just a depressed person.” Instead, they should think, “I am a Christian, loved by God, and I struggle with depression.” There is a big difference here. The first line of thinking equates present struggles with personal identity. The second separates the struggle from the identity. My contention is that many Christians wrap up their identity in their particular struggles. I certainly do at times. This does great damage to our overall sense of well-being and usefulness to God. I have wrestled with this for many years. What I have learned is that I must separate what I am struggling with in order to accurately view my identity. I am not a depressed person who believes. I am a believer who struggles with depression. We must give ourselves freedom to be who God has called us to be. We cannot do that by identifying ourselves with what we struggle with. My message to you today is this: You are not your struggle. Don’t name yourself by your struggle. Name yourself by what God calls you-his beloved child. Your status is not your struggle. Your identity is found in Christ and Christ alone. What God has bought by the blood of his own Son he deems very precious. If you have turned from your sin and have believed in Christ for salvation, your identity is secured! Let’s start giving God credit for what he has done in us. Live as a beloved child of God, not as a slave to your struggle. Preaching to myself.

Reflection Questions

What is your particular struggle(s)? How do you view your struggle(s) in relation to your identity as a Christian?

Have you placed more “faith” in your struggle than in your God? Do you trust that you are a beloved child of God and not a slave to your struggle?

*Photo by Joshua Earle on Unsplash