“At one time people got their self-image from connecting to something more important than their individual interests — to God, or family, or nation, or some cultural configuration of all three. Now we have to go get our own identity.”- Timothy Keller Timothy Keller concludes Chapter 6 of Making Sense of God as he notes […]
“The traditional way of forging an identity through connection with something outside the individual made sense. But if your identity is in your desires, they are going to be changing all the time. If in every situation you seek your own self-interest, responding in ways that get the approval and control you want at the […]
“More than something we do, habits make us who we are. Habits are uniforms that reveal identity; change your habits and you change who you are. All pilgrims wear their habits, every WayFarer wears a way of life, and by our habits, we wear our hearts on our sleeves. Habits are the way we dress […]
“But if we don’t chase God to keep catching another glimpse of who we truly are, we will end up performing and living an artificial life to gain an inferior promise from the world. . . . Who we are is equivalent to who we belong to. As followers of Christ, you and I belong […]
“Most of us struggle with our new name and identity. We will typically face internal struggles before we face external difficulties. . . . But if we take time to know who we are in Christ — and not just know our new names in our minds but meditate on them and let them dwell […]
“Naming is an intimate, powerful act because it is about bestowing identity. Those who are named with God are part of his family and should bear a family resemblance. Above all, they should reflect his character. In this [Aaronic] blessing, that means that they will become mirrors of his shine.”- Tina Boesch As Tina Boesch […]
“That jolt into the unknown is invigorating when the trip is short . . . but when months stretch into years, when foreignness becomes a way of life, it can be deeply disorienting. The disorientation is on a psychic level as much as a physical one — I lose a sense of who I am.”- […]
“It’s easy and quite normal to take on our difficulty as our identity. . . . whether it’s the loss of a loved one, the betrayal of a friend, or financial ruin, no hardship in this fallen world has the power to define you or determine your potential.”- Paul David Tripp Paul David Tripp concludes […]
“God not only reveals His story in the inner room, He also reveals in the inner room your unique role in that story. You have a critical role to play in the story of God on earth, and that part become clear to you in the secret place. In order for you to play your […]
“I . . . think . . . we all have a deep-down ache that we were made for more. We yearn to be whole. . . . “- Ann Swindell “You who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our […]
“My heart is not proud, O LORD. My eyes are not haughty . . . I have stilled and quieted my soul; like a weaned child with its mother, like a weaned child is my soul within me.”- Psalm 131:1-2 As John Ortberg concludes Chapter 14 of Soul Keeping, he discusses the concept of strategic […]