Loss of Identity - Redefining Yourself through Faith

Having a relationship with Christ is not a religion, it is a lifestyle and identity. You live it, breath it, wear it and eat it day in and day out. It is the very reason we are called Christians.

A Christian is to be Christ-like. It means to have the mind of Christ in you, causing you to live with a higher awareness of love and faith. You operate not as the "normal" would have you respond but as the Spirit would lead you.

The unfortunate things is many of us of us have been indoctrinated into a religion. This indoctrination began at birth or conversion, and continues throughout your whole life. Religious beliefs and doctrines get internalized and adapted into your own identity, often to the point of suppressing your real authentic self in favor of the "group-think identity" of religion. For many who thirst for a more meaningful experience, they must lose fundamental parts of their identity. This can cause an identity crisis of sorts which can be quite painful at times, yet freeing and euphoric in the end.

Because doctrines are internalized to such a great extent, the persecution complex arises quickly and naturally to any information that is critical or challenging to those beliefs or teachings. New information isn't seen as just critical or challenging to the Dogma of religion, but as a personal attack in many instances. This is why you see many fighting over the letter of the law and hating what does not look, believe or think as they do. Once a person decides to stand for authentic relationship with Christ it can prove quite difficult to be embraced by those that still uses the defense mechanisms of legalism. However, it can also leave those of us who do cleave to Christ in relationship to feel a sense of loss with a church shaped hole in our heart and feeling like we don't know who we are anymore. After all, some of the greatest life-questions of philosophers were given to us with surety through great men and women of the cloth. We knew who we were because they told us, where we came from and where we were going after this life, if we followed their path. As long as we dont let the touchy-feely, sloppy agape come near us.
One of the more painful experiences we may have in leaving legalism is losing the identity we so deeply internalized and invested in. For many of us, there is a mourning process that we go through to weep over the loss of our beloved companion, "the church", and all that it fulfilled in us, or that we believe fulfilled in us. It is okay to mourn this loss. Not everyone goes through this though and that is okay too. Mourning can help release some of the religious or church programming and identity though, making room for God's truth to shine through. His truth that church is not a building we attend but who we are and we all are not a islands based on our beliefs but the body of Christ jointly fit together. We are all one!

You see the internalizing of beliefs into our core identity is what gave legalism (Religion) so much power over our thoughts and minds, and also the potential to hurt us on our way out through the loss of identity. Despite all of this potential for hurt and mourning from the loss of identity, you now have an opportunity that many go their entire lives without ever experiencing, and that is being able to consciously define your new identity. This can be a freeing and empowering experience. It can also set you up for further hurt if not done cautiously. When it comes down to the words and phrases by which we identify ourselves, the more emotionally invested we are in those definitions, the more potential and power we simultaneously give them to hurt us if or when that identity dissolves. Any identity-definition can be internalized and believed in so heavily that should it fail, causes us great pain, suffering and further identity crisis. The key to preventing any further identity crisis is to limit how emotionally invested you become towards any one identity-definition you may have for yourself, or that you adopted from outer sources. 

With all that said, the only source that we should look to for a definition of who we are is the one who created us. He thus, created us for relationship with him. To be loved by him and to love him. To allow our faith to accomplish what the world says is impossible. Not be our own strength but the strength that comes from Him. So let go of the religious beliefs that limit the God you serve and you from becoming a new creature in Christ.

Embrace the fact that transformation, requires you to lose your old ways and take on new ways. To think differently and understand your purposes as it pertains to the whole. Strive to be in relationship with Christ. Thus your identity will be made clear and your faith pure!

You are Bound No More!

Pastor Linda Hillman

(c) 2015 Living Above Hurt Ministries

Pastorlindahillman@hotmail.com