For no one can lay any foundation other than what is being laid, which is Jesus Christ. (1 Corinthians 3:11)
“Waisake, stand up,” I said to the six-foot-six, Fijian inmate. “You have been a fighter, but I anoint you as a warrior for God. From now on, you battle against evil instead of against men.”
As I made a cross with coconut oil on Waisake’s forehead, his tears dripped onto his orange prison smock.
Waisake was serving time for first-degree assault. Fellow prisoners feared his Herculean fists, but when he gave his heart to Jesus, a new Waisake emerged. Through counseling, the Holy Spirit set him free from the abuse he’d received as a child. The moment I put oil on his head, God changed his identity from brawler to lover. Powerful, friendly Waisake became a favorite of inmates and guards alike.
Our identity defines us. How we, and others, see ourselves influences our actions. Are you a fighter, a lover, a fanatic, a pacifist? There are a great many human labels, and we each wear several.
My identity has changed a few times. It shifted when I left the business world to become a pastor. Then, I was a foreign missionary, and most recently an author. The changes left me wondering, what am I?
Every steppingstone of identity eventually sinks. The only unmoving foundation is the love of Jesus Christ. Since he purchased my place in God’s family, that’s my identity—a child of God, and brother of Jesus. Those are the only labels I need.
Change may cause the universe to crumble around us, but for Waisake and me, our weight is on the immovable stone.
Prayer: Jesus, you are my identity.