Of the many things humanity struggles with our sense of identity is one of them. We often struggle with questions like “who am I,” “why am I here,” and “what is life about?” And as long as we are confused about those fundamental questions we are going to be confused about us. I know this because these are the same types of questions Solomon had that lead to the exact same type of confusion.
You remember in Ecclesiastes 1:3 that Solomon found his life to be one big exercise in vanity and asked the question, “What profit hath man of all his labor wherein he laboreth under the sun?” That was in essence his way of asking “who am I,” “why am I here,” and “what is life about?” So over the next few chapters he experiments with everything in which he believed he could find fulfillment absent of God until finally he turned back to the one source he should have consulted all along. And when he finally did consult with God he learned everything about himself that he needed to know (12:13).
When we consult with God He still has the capability to tell us what we need to know about ourselves. So what does God want you to know about you?
You are created. Humanity is not its own gift. We came from God, formed from the dust of the earth, fashioned according to His image (Genesis 1:27). From a purely creative standpoint God is the Father of all, but because He is Father of all then all humanity should feel some form of obligation to Him. There is a natural relationship between creature and Creator (cf. Romans 1:25), a relationship that more of humanity would benefit from by accepting their true lot in life. That lot is the fact that we are not supreme beings but we belong to a Supreme Being. And when we can accept that we are created and belong to a Supreme Being then we can get a better grasp on what God wants us to know.
You are loved. Our relationship with God extends far beyond the mere creature/Creator mentality. God is said to be “Father” more times throughout the Bible than a person would have time to count – that is not just a name, it is an identity. So in the same way that fathers love their children God loves His. Well, not in the exact same way but only because His love so much greater than any other type of love possible. He loved us so much that He was willing to sacrifice His own Son in the cruelest of ways to give us the opportunity to be saved (John 3:16; 1 John 3:16). So don’t look at God as a less than benevolent dictator unconcerned with your well being or eternal destiny – you are created but you are also loved.
You are wanted. God’s love for man is not distant. He doesn’t care for us from afar but unconcerned about a connection to humanity. In His love He wants us. He wants to adopt us into His family (Ephesians 1:5), He wants us to turn from our sins (2 Peter 3:9), He wants us to communicate with Him (1 Peter 3:12), and He wants to save us (1 Timothy 2:4). People live lives of pure misery because they live under the assumption that they are unwanted. Children feel unwanted by their parents, wives feel unwanted by their husbands, people feel unwanted by their friends, etc. This inevitably leads to feelings of isolation, anxiety, depression, and sometimes even leads to suicide. But the glorious reality under which we live is that we are not only wanted, but we are wanted by the Supreme God of heaven! If this doesn’t excite you then nothing will.
The approach we take to our lives has eternal implications. But the approach we take to our lives is governed by our perspective of our identity. If we have an inadequate perspective of our identity an improper approach will naturally follow. But when you listen to what God wants you to know about you then you learn everything you need to know about everything you need to be.
-Andy