Every teenager struggles with the question “who am I?”. In a world that demands we build our own identities, the pressure can seem overwhelming. Many feel crushed under the weight of expectations, unable to find an identity that truly satisfies.
But there is hope for those who find their identity in someone greater – Jesus Christ. When we receive the identity Jesus offers, it brings freedom from the pressure to perform and achieve on our own.
- Many high school students feel a lot of pressure to figure out their identity. They feel pressure from parents, teachers, and their own desire to succeed. They struggle with questions like “Who am I?”, “What is my purpose?” and “What direction am I going in life?” This pressure can lead to anxiety and depression.
- Jesus provides an identity that does not have to be achieved but is received. If you follow Jesus, you are:
- A child of the Father. God loves you and wants to adopt you as his child, not leaving you as an orphan.
- The friend of the Son. Jesus calls you his friend and laid down his life for you.
- The home of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit lives within you, making you the temple of God.
- Trying to achieve an identity on your own will crush you. But receiving your identity from Jesus provides freedom, rest and joy.
- Singing together reminds believers of who they are in Christ and the identity they have been given, not one they have to earn.
The identity Jesus offers – that of a beloved child of God, a treasured friend, and the temple of His Spirit – is a life-giving identity. When we rest in this, the pressure to construct our own identities falls away. We are freed to live simply as who we already are – loved and known deeply by the Heavenly Father.
This identity reshapes how we see ourselves and others. No longer crushing, the pressure to perform now spurs us to serve with love, secure in who we are in Christ. The journey to discover ourselves is over – God has revealed our truest identity in Him. Will you receive it?