Are you connected?

In a sermon on identity by Pascal Graf in our church, I was asked to answer a few questions and present my painting “Connected.” I’m sharing that with you, because in my opinion, this is an essential part of our lifes.

PG: My question to you, “Who are you?” is a question of identity. What is your identity in God as things stand today?
AH: First and foremost, I am God’s child, his beloved daughter. And I have to say that in order for me to live out that identity, it has to move from my head, that is, from my mind, to my heart. It’s to some extent in my heart. Not completely yet; there’s still room for more. But I am a beloved daughter.
In our small group, we’ve done an exercise with our name, where we asked God what our identity is based on our name.
My identity is: ambassador of value, light, and peace, bringing clarity and truth. I can’t always live that out; depending on the situation, I have it in my heart, and in some other situations I still struggle with it.
PG: It’s all a process we’re going through. You know what, you’re not alone in that!
AH: Yes, I know.

PG: That’s wonderful. Today’s topic also has the motto: Live who you are with your identity. What has changed in your life with the knowledge that you have an identity that God intended for you? Not one that you imposed on yourself? What does God have in store for you, what have you experienced with that, what does it mean to you?
AH. I’ve noticed that I’m more relaxed because my value doesn’t depend on anything. (An “Amen” from the audience) It is fixed. My value doesn’t change, no matter how much I mess up. I have that just as much as I have God’s love.
And: I am more present because I know my purpose. My purpose is to bring value, light, and peace wherever I am. My task is to hold my identity so firmly in my heart that I can be that without having to make an effort.
PG: So good!
AH: And yes, I’m working on it.
PG: So good, thank you for your honesty. You brought a painting with you on the subject of identity, which you’ve already told me about. Tell us about your painting, I’m curious to hear what you have to say.

AH: Yes, that is precisely what you said at the beginning of your sermon, that we now operate in the kingdom of God, no longer in our own.
Through our conversion, through our acceptance of Jesus, we have received the Spirit of God, or rather, our spirit can now connect with God’s Spirit. In the painting at the top, heaven is shown in white, at the bottom earth is pictured in blue. As Christians, we are “authorized” to sit with Jesus in heaven. There are two verses in John 17:16 and 18 that say:

Just as I (Jesus) do not belong to the world, they (we) do not belong to the world. I sent them into the world, just as you sent me into the world.

This means that we are commissioned by God to bring heaven to earth.
And if we don’t do it, who will?

It is our job to establish and advance God’s kingdom on earth, and to do so with our identity. With what he has placed within us. In order to do that, we must nurture our relationship with God and connect our spirit with God’s spirit. Listening and doing what he says means being obedient.

We are at home in both worlds. My wish is for us to accept this mission and live it out with our identity.