What You Need to Know if You Have a Broken Identity
– the message of identity and love and grace and freedom and redemption. The message of an Abba Father who will never leave you or forsake you.
The #summersizzlebloghop continues this week and I'm excited to welcome Alison Tiemeyer to the blog! Alison is a wise and compassionate writer who I'm honored to call friend. I pray the following words will bless you as they did me.
Have you ever felt forgotten and abandoned?
There is a whole society of people that stands with you, bearing the weight of loneliness and shame, fear and isolation.
It’s AD 60 and Paul is sitting in the corner of a Roman prison, writing the book of Ephesians to the new community of Christians in Ephesus. The book of Ephesians is about our identity in Christ – our adoption, redemption and hope.
And the new church in Ephesus desperately needed this message of identity.
Don’t you? Don’t I?
You see, the people of Ephesus were composed of high-ups and important businessmen, but there was also a large population of forgotten people.
When a baby was born, it was not uncommon for the baby to be laid at the father’s feet and evaluated. Maybe the parents were hoping for a boy, and this baby is a girl. Maybe the father was longing for a strong and mighty warrior, and this son was delivered a premature babe.
The father was allowed to rid of the baby – to leave the infant in the cold or the brutal heat – maybe to be found but maybe not.
Passerbys would search through these forgotten infants left on the street. If a baby seemed promising, they would raise the child and then sell him or her into slavery or prostitution.
As Paul was penning the book of Ephesians, hundreds of slaves and prostitutes were wandering the streets of Ephesus. Many were scanning crowds with their eyes. “Are you my mother? Are you the father that abandoned me?” (source)
Talk about a forgotten people. Talk about aching hearts and a desperate longing for identity.
In comes Paul with the message of the gospel – the message of identity and love and grace and freedom and redemption. The message of an Abba Father who will never leave you or forsake you.
And these slaves and prostitutes – the babes who years before were left by trash piles and forgotten – have been given new names, new identities, and new purposes.
They are now children of God.
Friend, this story offers the only hope – the sweetest secret – you need to heal from a broken identity.
It tells you that no matter how hurt you’ve been, no matter how lonely you feel, no matter how misunderstand and unappreciated you’ve been, no matter how poorly you’ve been treated – There. Is. Hope.
The hope of adoption.
You are a son or daughter of the Most High King. And He is a Father who will never leave you or forsake you.
There is power in the identity of Christ!
If you’ve been betrayed by a spouse…
If you’ve been fired from a comfortable job…
If you’ve been abused and used…
If you’ve been left for garbage, forgotten and shamed…
If you’ve been scammed and cheated…
If you’ve suffered from depression or addiction…
If you’ve never felt safe…
If you’ve been deserted by those who are supposed to love you…
There. Is. Hope.
The hope lies in your identity.
“In love He predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will – to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves.” [Ephesians 1:4-6, NIV]
Dear child of the Most High Abba Father, your identity is secure.
The book of Ephesians was penned for those long-ago forgotten babes and for you.
I’ve created a one-week Bible study for those struggling with their true identity. It walks you through the first three chapters of Ephesians in depth, asking questions and reminding you of important truths from your Father.
It’s totally FREE for you, because this is important.
I encourage you to print out the booklet and be diligent about working through the study. It’s not long – each day shouldn’t take more than 30 minutes.
But when you take the time to dig deep and find your true identity, wild things happen. You find security in God rather than finances. You find hope in the gospel, rather than that substance you can’t stop using. You stand firm on the rock of your salvation, rather than the opinions of those around you.
Download the study and begin today. Dive deep into who Christ says you are.
And just like those long-ago forgotten babes, you too will be armed with the truth of your adoption as a child of the Most High King.
Alison is a wife, blogger, and Jesus-follower growing in grace and truth daily. She loves coffee in the morning, experimenting in the kitchen, camping with her husband, and reading in a hammock just about anywhere. Her blog –AlisonTiemeyer.com – exists to encourage faithful growth and passionate living. You can find Alison on Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram and Twitter
The #summersizzlebloghop is 9 bloggers sharing their best posts all summer long! You can find more of these posts right HERE.
Linking up with Deb Wolf at #faithandfriends (Friday), #GraceandTruth (Friday), Holly Gerth at #coffeeforyourheart (Wednesday), Susanne Eller at #livefreeThursday, Carmen at #salt&light (Thursday), Kelly at #RaRalinkup (Tuesday), and Lori at #Momentsofhope (Monday)
