In2theRiver

Good morning from Westminster, MD!

In my last post (click here to read it), I talked about a business’ ability to be a catalyst for spiritual hope. Specifically, I examined some of the ways a business can point someone to an identity reframed around the truth that they were created on purpose and for a purpose by a God who loves them. When our identity is built on this foundation, a spiritual hope flows into us and ultimately through us that can change everything.

Question: Is this where the reframing stops? In other words, is the truth that we were created on purpose and for a purpose by a God who loves us the end of the journey of discovering who God created us to be? I will explore this question in today’s post.

Before I get too far, let me be clear that it does start here. Jesus came, died, and rose again so that we could be redeemed and restored back into right relationship with the God who created us. That is how valuable you are and the ultimate demonstration of love. This foundational truth is a rock from which a reframed identity is built and spiritual hope grows. This rock is universal when it comes to moving from a faulty identity to a reframed identity. It is also the place from which a person can discover all that God created them to be.

A number of years ago, I had the opportunity to be a part of a group of guys who had a desire to live intentionally. The group was called Ironmen and was led by Pat, a man we all respected. Pat lives and follows Jesus in a way that makes you want to do the same. This is not a feeling of jealousy or envy but of inspiration for what is possible for you. Pat’s hope for this group was to help us take steps toward living the life for which God created us.

This group had a profound impact on my life for many reasons, but one element in particular sticks out when it comes to a reframed identity. One morning, to kick off our discussion, Pat gave us a blank death certificate. This was a bit sobering to say the least. After handing it out, Pat asked us to think about what we hoped would be said about us when this form was filled out on our behalf one day. It was not a completely new concept for me. I had a vague idea of what I hoped people would say such as “he was a good friend” or “he was a nice person”. However, what Pat explained next changed perspective forever.

Pat explained that we don’t just have to hope to become a certain kind of person. Instead, we could intentionally shape our lives around becoming the person God created us to be. You see, while our brokenness is true, it is not the truest thing about us if we have found new life in Jesus. Instead, God sees us as the person he created us to be and invites us to begin becoming that person today. That morning, Pat challenged us to begin praying and considering who God had created us to be and what it would look like to organize our life around becoming that person. Instead of a wishy-washy aspiration of becoming a “good person” one day, he encouraged us to paint a clear picture of what it would look like to live into God’s best for our lives. Talk about a reframed identity!

Out of this exercise came guiding principles or statements that declared what this fully reframed identity would look like. Statements such as “I am a man of congruency” and ” I am a man of one true voice”. These statements would be followed by a description of what it would look like to live that way and truths from the Bible that would reinforce them. Was I that person? No, not yet, at least from my perspective. But God, like a loving parent only better, could see past my warts to the person He created me to be. I was, and still am, full of God-given potential just waiting to be realized. By writing down these principles, I was beginning to see myself the way God sees me, further reframing my identity and finding even more hope.

Maybe today you find yourself standing on the foundational rock of God’s love and purpose for your life, but you are wondering if there is more. I would encourage you to pray and give thought to who it is that God created you to be. In Psalm 139 from the Bible, it says you are “fearfully and wonderfully made”. Maybe it’s time for you to begin building on the rock and intentionally live into the person God created you to be. It’s a journey and not a straight line, but it is worth it. Let the reframing continue!

James Belt

Click here for more resources to help you bring hope to others, including more information about my book, Hope Realized!