What Defines Me?

We are often tempted to let what we do define us. If I play baseball, I’m a baseball player. If I play the piano, I’m a pianist. If I dance, I’m a dancer. If I am a KidMin leader, I am a minister. What we do is important because God has uniquely created us and crafted our life so that there is only one of each of us.

Identity seems to be a buzzword today, and many people struggle with who they really are and what their purpose is. This is not something that impacts just one group of people. People from many different areas and of different ages are struggling to “find themselves.” 

But is our identity only defined by the things we do? Is our value inseparable from our interests and actions? The Bible responds with a resounding “no.” Out of His great love, God created us and desires a relationship with us. Yes, the things we do are important to how God has created us, but our true identity is not tied to temporal things that come and go. Our identity is found first as created in God’s image. As image-bearers of God, our identity carries value and worth because we are a unique part of God’s creation. Further, true identity and purpose are found in a personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ.

As adults, many of us struggle with finding our identity, and specifically not falling into the trap of letting what we do define us. The kids in our ministries struggle with this too. There are many voices speaking into the lives of children to tell them who they are or even that they get to define themselves. If we want to know who we truly are and what our purpose is, we must start by looking at what our Creator has said.

In conjunction with the release of the new Kendricks Brothers movie Overcomer, Lifeway Kids has partnered with the Kendrick Brothers to develop a 6-week Bible study to help point kids in the best place to answer the question “Who am I?” Our Creator. Through Defined: Who God Says You Are, kids will discover who God created them to be and what is true about their identity because of their relationship with Jesus.

Defined: Who God Says You Are is available for kids, teens, and adults. The Overcomer Campaign Kit is a great starting place for churches to see how the Overcomer movie and available resources fit together. More information, as well as other related resources, can be found at lifeway.com/overcomer.

Jeremy Carroll is the team leader for Lifeway Kids Discipleship Resources. Before coming to Lifeway, he has been active in local church ministry for nearly 20 years in TN, TX, and AL. Jeremy earned a Master of Arts in Christian Education from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. A Middle Tennessee native, he and his family live in Murfreesboro, TN.