Elaine Vitikainen
My family and I just returned to Finland after living and working in Asia for the past 15 years (I’m originally from the Philippines). The endless months of packing and unpacking is thankfully behind us. I have to learn and relearn many things. But I can see that I have gained a lot – stronger family ties, new insight to the Finnish culture, getting back to the Finnish weather, new places to explore, meeting new people. But I also know I have lost a lot too – my work, my friends and former colleagues, even my pets! It has disturbed my sense of identity. Sometimes I wonder, who am I now? Did I leave my identity behind?
Over the years of moving from one country to the next, people coming and going in my life and changes in my family and work situations, I learned that life is full of uncertainty. These uncertainties could weaken my identity if my identity is not rooted in God.
My identity is that I am a child of God created in God’s image.
Yet to all who received Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God… (John 1:12)
He predestined us to be adopted as His sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with His pleasure and will… (Ephesians 1:5)
My identity as a child of God is unchanging and it is something that can’t be taken away from me. Being a child of God gives me hope for the future, whatever the future may bring.
Pause and Reflect:
This week consider your identity first and foremost as a child of God. How does that change the way you will approach work and life today? Find a trusted friend to discuss this with and pray about specific action steps you might take.