The YOU God Created You to Be

I know far too many people, especially ministry leaders, who hold their identity in what they do. This is easy to spot in simple introductions. I was guilty of this for more years than I care to admit as I would say to a new person, “I am Dave Peppler, and I am the pastor of so-and-so church” (Ah yes, the brethren of so-and-so, they had iffy fellowship meals). The problem lies within the words themselves. I am a pastor. I am an engineer. I am the executive director. I am the organizer.

Paul must have been great at identifying himself like this. Check out the early verses of Philippians 3 and see if I am correct. In time, I think he figured out what I am talking about. He became far less focused on wrapping his identity in his work to learn that his true self was none of that. His attitude changed somewhere along the way, which caused him to talk more about being a child of God. “I want to know Christ,” and to understand what it means to be more like him.

I introduced this concept during a retreat I recently led for clergy in the Mid-Atlantic Cooperative Baptist Fellowship. I had them go around the room asking how they formally introduce themselves or are introduced by others. Most did what I always used to do by stating their name and then saying, “I am (job title) at (place/style of service).”

On my flip chart, I had written, “I am a pastor,” and then said that I regretted ever saying that about myself. This isn’t because being a pastor sucked or anything (although there were days...), but to say those words as a way of expressing my identification; I now view them as incorrect.

I then proceeded to speak a bit about my identity in terms that make sense as identifiers. I am Dave. I am a fun-loving, creative, imaginative, and deeply spiritual person. I am a husband, father, grandfather, and (gulp) soon-to-be great-grandfather. You will always find me laughing and enjoying life because I am filled with joy, while also taking my spiritual life quite seriously as I explore the depths of God’s Spirit within me.

Those are identifying statements. None of that has to do with what I do for a living (unless you stretch that thought out to show where my spiritual life does play a role in what I do).

I flipped the sheet over to the next one that said, “I serve as a pastor.” Even though that specific title no longer applies to me, it makes my point. What I do in kingdom work does not constitute who I am. This is the classic being/doing separation. God has called me to BE Dave. God has called me to DO coaching, writing, consulting, retreat leading, interim work and training, etc.” These are separate statements because they are separate truths.

A lot of people I have encountered over the years have an enormous struggle with precisely this issue. Pastors, for example, often feel like they have given up their lives upon retirement because they do not know who else they are supposed to become now. I have seen this with people in countless other professions as well. I have also witnessed countless others who refused to retire or retired way too late to enjoy it because they feel like they will lose their identity.

This is one of the topics I frequently encounter in coaching individuals and congregations. For individuals, it is easy to fall into this identity trap. Many feel they are identifiable by what they do for a living instead of the beautiful individuals God created them to be. Coaching people to transition from a works-based identity to a child of God identity can take time, but the payoff is phenomenal.

The same can be said of congregations. Identifying a church by what it does is a misnomer. When I am coaching/consulting churches, I guide them through the process of exploring what it is that makes them unique. The calling and activities are related to the role it plays but are not the congregation's identity in itself. Every gathered group of people who come together for worship, spiritual growth, and any number of other purposes is an individual part of the body of Christ which has its own unique identity.

You will feel a lot better about yourself as an individual if you begin the process of removing your identity from your job description. Your life is so much more than what you do for a living. God sees it that way. Why shouldn’t you? I would love to help you (or your church family) discover how to discover your identity. Click here to connect with me so we can explore together.

God calls you a beloved child, friend, a unique being that God loves no matter how much or little you do. God does not refer to you as a chaplain, seamstress, executive, or landscaper. God’s love for you has never depended upon what or how much you do in life or work in the kingdom. There is no reason to think you need to earn God’s love.

God loves the YOU God created you to be.