All people have an identity. We all have names which are given to us and family connections from birth. There are also the things we accomplish in our lives such as academic qualifications, the type of work we do and positions attained. All of these things are good if viewed with the right perspective but can be very harmful when they become an end in themselves. What happens, for example, when someone who is dear to us dies, or we lose our job or retire from work?

Denial may affect us in these situations and for some it can be serious. How effectively this is dealt with, in many ways, is a result of how we find our identity. For example… where our relationship to a departed spouse has been very close, both in terms or affection and duration, the sense of loss can be very severe and ongoing. This is because our identity has become tied to that loved one.

It is here that the ‘good news’ of Jesus Christ is an immense comfort for those who trust in Him. The one who created us, and knows us intimately, has become our Saviour. When we are in this everlasting relationship with him, he becomes our identity. He has said that he ‘will never leave or forsake us’. The other things in which we previously found our identity take on a different meaning and importance. The loss of them is overshadowed by the relationship we have with Jesus.