Power to Think and Feel

Many people enter adulthood with little or no assurance of their identity/self. Because of their dysfunctional family backgrounds, abuse, neglect or ignorance children grow up without knowing who they are in Christ or that He has given them a sure indentity/self as a child of God in the forever family.

When one is unsure of his/her identity (self, personhood, etc) we will compulsively seek to find it in other people, sex, clothes, cars, work, religion, booze, drugs, etc. This, of course, leads to the development of a false self.

Trying to shore up a false self leads to an anxious pursuit of affirmation and compulsive thoughts about whether others like us or not. In its extreme forms we pass laws about hate speech, obsess over any failure experienced by our kids and demand that others always say nice things about us. This is doomed to failure. We cannot win this battle this way.

The only way to win is to renew our mind according to scripture. If I know my position in Christ I am confident in Him no matter what other people says.

Do not be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewal of your mind. RO 12:2