"John replied in the voice of Isaiah the prophet, "I am the voice of one calling in the wilderness. 'Make straight the way for the Lord." (John 1:23 NIV)
John (like Jesus) knew who He was and what He was here for. He had a rock solid identity and purpose. As Christ-followers, we can experience the same level of certainty in our own time here on earth. Such surety is an outstanding testimony to unbelievers. Just as John bore witness to the interrogating Jewish leadership, we will bear witness to the secular world around us.
Be warned: a strong sense of identity and purpose will not protect us from suffering. Quite the opposite. These qualities will steel us for the inevitable grief that accompanies a life invested in the Kingdom.
Look more closely at John: he lived set apart in uncomfortable conditions. (The Negev is hostile territory for sure!) His regular diet would be considered a forced fast for the rest of us. John was deeply misunderstood by the people he served and the leadership of his nation. He died a barbaric death after an unjust prison sentence. We know John had questions for God right up until the very end.
Before we feel too sorry for John, recall his encounter with the living Jesus. We read of his public meeting with the Messiah on the shores of the Jordan River, but John’s life had been anchored in Jesus since his sixth month in his mother’s womb. The unborn prophet had lept at the greeting of Mary, the mother of Jesus. That uterine somersault acknowledged the presence of John’s hidden, infant Messiah. John was born three months later grew up into his identity and calling: preparing the way for his cousin. John’s life as a believer and a prophet was not easy, but it was on purpose.
The growing message of American Christianity is the misnomer that God primarily wants to bless His children and believers can pray away the bad. This is an oversimplification that subtracts out the long and weighted reality of eternity. Too much blessing in this life can actually detract from our Kingdom-Come focus. The New Testament makes it abundantly clear: followers of Christ live sure in their identity and often live out their purpose amidst injustice, pain and persecution.
We suffer happily because we suffer temporarily. We understand that our suffering has a limit, a line in the sand that it cannot pass. Our pain cannot go beyond our earthly existence. What comes after last breath will be blissfully pain-free. When we can keep that in mind, it becomes a limited privilege to suffer for the sake of Jesus. We grow in the intimacy in our divine relationship when we suffer alongside our Savior.
Our identity and purpose shore us up for suffering. When we understand we are sons and daughters making our way Home, we are much more willing to endure hardship along the journey. What’s more, we can adopt new siblings along our way! We delight in opportunities to share our story with pre-believers. We steward these moments with a keen sense of the eternal weight they bear.
All this said; you can see how essential it is to discover our identity in Christ and our purpose in Him along with it. Of course, we are societally confused when we’ve lost sight of these two tacking points. As a nation, we wander about trying to guess at or reinvent our identity. (I know one woman who claims to reinvent herself daily: how exhausting!) We devote ourselves to worthless ideologies, careers, hobbies, or self-care. We are collectively lost and chronically miserable: do what makes you happy only seems to make us increasingly morose. It’s as if we were created for more, because we were!
An identity secured as child of God and the subsequent purpose discovered in living for Him is a far preferred state of existence, despite whatever sort of suffering it may include.
"In fact, everyone who lives a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted." (2 Timothy 3:12 NIV)
"And the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory, will Himself restore you, and make you strong, firm, and steadfast." (1 Peter 5:10 NIV)
"I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that ill be revealed in us." (Romans 8:18 NIV)
"It was good for me to be afflicted so that I may learn all your decrees." (Psalm 119:71 NIV)
I thought long and hard about the photos I’m sharing today. They each have to do with identity. The first is from the day my parents brought my baby sister home (January of 1983). It is a core memory for me. I was not quite four and certainly not allowed to sit in the beautiful pink velvet armchair that had belonged to my great-grandmother. I was certain it was reserved for princesses as I had never seen another soul sit in said chair. Yet my mother had directed me and my brother to perch in the throne of pink velvet and I obliged. Then my baby sister was settled between us like a sparkling sapphire in open prongs. “Be careful! You have to protect her!” See how I’m scooched to the side to make room for her? That was the day my identity solidified. I had been promoted to middle child and it was my job to keep everyone safe and happy. From then on, I made it my mission to take care of my parents, my siblings and then eventually my husband, my children, my church. “Responsible Caretaker” was my identity for a long, long time.
This second picture was taken on ordination night. This was shortly after my Father had given me a new identity that I am still growing into — “Beloved Daughter”. Beloved includes rich benefits. I have a heavenly dad who looks out for me. I can trust His farsightedness and His plans for His people all the way through eternity. I am not alone. I never suffer alone. I’m not responsible for others; I’m only responsible to Him. He always has time for me. He always knows what I need to do next.
Once we figure out who we are, then we can figure out our purpose. The two are intertwined. Jesus knew it. John knew it. We will be so relieved when we come to terms with it ourselves.
Lord, forgive us for all the ways we’ve attempted to craft our own identity. Today we see that You have always known who You created us to be. May we stop looking within to discover, but instead, look up to uncover. You have always been with us, loving us and calling us toward belonging. May we respond and revel in our bequeathed identity in You. Show us the way we should live. Let Your purposes become our purposes. Let us be willing to suffer in this life with full hope for the next. We are glad to belong and willing to experience some pain as we make our way Home to You. Amen.