Day Five | February 27

The Rock of My Identity

At the end of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus urged us to consider the foundation on which we build our lives and faith. Building on the rock required more time, labor, and sacrifice; but it would ultimately stand in the storms of life. Building on sand was quicker and easier. It was convenient and less expensive; but when tough times came, it could not support the structure. The building would be washed away.

Such is the rock of our identity. How do we see ourselves? Do we follow the customs and values of the world? Or is our identity rooted in Christ?

26 WHO DO YOU SAY THAT I AM?

He is the Rock that will enable us to stand in the challenges that we face throughout life.

When our identity is rooted in Christ, we know how valuable we are. We know that we are created in the image of God and that God’s love for us is unfathomable. When we accept Christ as our Lord and Savior, we are given a new identity. We become “a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s own people, in order that you may proclaim the mighty acts of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light” (1 Peter 2:9).

Several years ago, a little boy named Eric was baptized at his church. During the ceremony, his pastor took the little boy in his arms and traced the cross on his forehead using a special anointing oil. Following worship, Eric’s family celebrated with a big backyard party. Family and friends ate burgers and chips and played volleyball under a summer sun. Eric, being only six months old, was left to nap in his backyard stroller. When his mom got him up, she discovered a problem. Basted on Eric’s forehead was the image of the cross. She had forgotten to wash Eric’s face following his baptism, and the oil that the pastor had traced onto his forehead acted as the opposite of a sunscreen. The Cross of Christ was imprinted on Eric’s forehead. For several weeks until it completely disappeared, that cross was a wonderful lesson of the meaning of baptism and a reminder that the cross of Jesus was “written” upon Eric’s forehead.

It became a powerful witness to others. Eric’s mom and dad had to explain the cross to the pediatrician, to their neighbors, to the stranger in the grocery store. For a few weeks, Eric was nothing less than a living children’s sermon. His identity was clear.

Is ours? Are we aware that, every day, we are God’s precious child bought with a price? Can people see our identity, not basted on our foreheads, but written in our hearts? It is much easier to wear a cross than it is to bear it daily in everything we do.