The Most Important Lesson in Life

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Sep 5, 2008

This is a big claim, but I’m sticking to it. I strongly believe that understanding our identity is the most important lesson in life. It affects everything about us and is woven into every aspect of who we are. There is a man who has spoken this truth into my life for the past 7 years and it has shaped me in such a large way that I can’t even express it enough. His name is Rob Loane and he is a mentor, friend, and wise sage. He doesn’t have a blog, but he should.

You can find him at VantagePoint 3 or on his FaceBook or through the Joshua Foundation for Christian Mentoring. Here’s the link to his vanity search where you can find all sorts of cool things about him. Enough about Rob.

Rob pointed me towards this lesson from Henri Nouwen that is the most important lesson in life. It’s about our identity. Here it is below but this is basically stolen from VantagePoint 3 who is quoting Nouwen.

What is the core of my identity? Who am I?
Henri Nouwen suggests that we primarily live out this question in a combination of three ways:
1. I am what I do (competency, achievements, etc)
2. I am what others say about me (popularity, reputation, etc)
3. I am what I have (power, family, skills, possessions, etc)

Throughout our lives much personal energy is expended proving our worth, trying to find love and significance, answering this question, “Who am I?” in one of those three ways. Nouwen argues that while each of these strategies can at times be good things, they will not suffice for ultimately answering who we are. They will not ground our identity. This is not what God has made us to be. We are by God’s creative and gracious design God’s beloved children.

1 John 3:1 – See how great a love the Father has bestowed on us, that we would be called children of God; and such we are.

So in leadership we need to see where we tend to stray into one of these three areas of defining ourselves because we tend to do these things in unhealthy ways to prove ourselves to people instead of trusting in God and relying on our unique place as an heir and adopted child into his family.
Luke 9:24 – What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit his very self?

How have you tended to define yourself in the past?
1. What you do?
2. What others say of you?
3. What you have?
How are you tending to define yourself currently?
How can we help each other to recognize and embrace our identities as beloved children of God?

So go and learn this lesson. Ask yourselves the questions. You won’t be the same.

7 Comments, Comment or Ping

  1. ryan guard

    Man, this post is making me want to scrap the message that I had prepared for this Sunday!

    I’m not even prepared to respond… I want to go chew on it.

    Sep 5th, 2008

  2. Brooke Stewart

    OK, I have to say… the cynic in me just figured you wanted to get people to go look at your blog… “go read it, it’s the most improtant lesson in life… blah blah” lol. And then I read it and it’s like, wOw… that really IS important… I don’t think I (and probably any of us) think about that enough.

    Life gets too busy. It’s easier to shelve that away for another day. Thanks for bringing it up.

    Sep 5th, 2008

  3. Nicole Wright

    thanks for posting that. i’ve actually been really thinking about similar life questions/topics recently. super important, i agree!

    Sep 5th, 2008

  4. Marc

    Eric (my exececutive pastor),

    You ask: What is the core of my identity? Who am I?

    I disagree with your premise. The most important question is not “who I am?” or “Who am I?” but Whose I am.

    I have been bought with a price, I am not my own, but Christ’s. (1 Cor. 6:19-20)

    I am crucified with Him, it is no longer I that live, but He in me. (Gal 2:20)

    I have been created for His pleasure and His glory and I am not to please myself, nor man, but rather live to please God. (Rev 4:11)

    How I spend my time is probalby the greatest reflection of who I am and if I am walking in THE work He has for me, for I am His workmanship created IN Christ Jesus (Ps 27:4, Eph 2:10)

    The follow quote from the book In Christ speaks to this:

    In one consummate declaration we are told that God has purposed to sum up all things in Christ (Eph. 1:10) and that outside of Him there is nothing which has any place in the eternal purpose and intention of God. The plan, the method, the resources, the times, the eternities, are Christospheric.

    The Creation is IN Christ.
    The Life is IN Christ.
    The Acceptance is IN Christ.
    The Redemption is IN Christ.
    The Righteousness is IN Christ.
    The Sanctification is IN Christ.
    The Hope is IN Christ.
    The Spiritual Blessings are IN Christ.
    The Consolation is IN Christ.
    The Peace is IN Christ.
    The Effectual Prayer is only IN Christ.
    The Strength and Riches are IN Christ.
    The Eternal Purpose is IN Christ.
    The New Creation is IN Christ.
    The Promises are IN Christ.
    The Escape from Condemnation is IN Christ.
    The One Body is IN Christ.
    The Perseverance is IN Christ.
    The Gathering into One is IN Christ.
    The Bonds of Suffering Believers are IN Christ.
    The “No Separation” is IN Christ.
    The Perfect Man is IN Christ.
    The Helpers Together are IN Christ.
    There are the Churches IN Christ.
    There are the Dead IN Christ.
    There is the One New Man and the Perfect Man IN Christ.
    We are Complete IN Christ.

    http://www.austin-sparks.net/english/books/000888.html

    And so to your original statement:

    “This is a big claim, but I’m sticking to it. I strongly believe that understanding our identity is the most important lesson in life.”

    I humbly submit to you Philippians 3:7-14

    In Him,

    Marc

    Sep 8th, 2008

  5. wakebird

    Hey Marc,

    I’m kind of confused by your long comment. Not by the comment itself, but by the fact that it sounds like you are trying to disagree with me when you are agreeing with everything I said in my post.

    I said that our identity is found in being a child of God. Another way of saying that is to be “in Christ.” You can’t be a child of God and not be in Christ.

    We are saying the same thing.

    Eric

    Sep 8th, 2008

  6. Marc

    Hi Eric,

    Perhaps I mis-read it.

    My bad.

    I guess my perspective is that the most important question is not who I am (whether in Christ or not), but rather who is Christ (both in heaven and in me). Does that make sense?

    Instead of gazing inwardly (navel contemplation), to understand anything at all I need to fix my eyes on Jesus. And we may be saying exactly the same thing, but I read yours as looking inwardly (“our identity”) to find the answer instead of upwardly (“Who do you say that I am?”, Jesus asked.) to find the answer

    In the future I will attempt to keep my comments shorter, if you prefer.

    In Him,

    Marc

    Sep 9th, 2008

  7. wakebird

    Marc,

    Thanks for your gracious response. And you are right, being “in Christ” is the most important thing.

    The question of “Who am I?” really is the question of “Who is Christ?” I am only found in my identity as God’s adopted child and heir.

    Eric

    Sep 10th, 2008

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