My Identity is in Christ

Now being a good Christian I don't ever wish that I could have certain things right?  I don't look at something that someone else has and wish that I could have it too right?  Or....maybe wish that circumstances were different and that I could have a bigger selection of different outfits so that it wouldn't seem like I am wearing the same things every week or the same shoes all the time etc.  I don't do any of that right?  WRONG!

I do have to admit that I am human and I have days here and there where I do struggle with wanting certain material things.  On the other days these things really don't matter so much to me.  Just because I do not have the new style of jewelry or shoes or clothes that seem to be "hot" right now does not mean that I don't look good or that I should be looked down upon.  Just because the car I drive does not and IS NOT new doesn't mean that I am not okay.

Just recently I went through a bout of this struggle.  I went to a purse party with my girlfriends (you know who you are) and I was very excited!  There were tons of purses and wallets and sunglasses galore!  Being that my husband and I had just spent some extra money within a few days before that on a new (new to us) car, I was hesitant to spend very much money.  My husband told me that I should go ahead and get something if I wanted to so I had a $ amount in mind.  When I looked at the price of the purses and wallets I was a bit deflated because I just didn't feel good spending that kind of money on a purse for me when I knew that I had other things I should probably use that money for at this particular time so I did not buy anything. 

Did this hinder me having a good time?  Not at all.  I was still able to use this time to fellowship with the girls and help them to find what they wanted and what looked good and razz them a bit etc. 

On the drive home I started to remember the last party that I went to with these girls was a jewelry party and I didn't buy anything there either.  I started to think about how they are able to compare their new jewelry and now they will all have new purses to talk about and I won't.  At that point, I called my mom and asked her what is wrong with me.  Why can't I just buy some things for myself and NOT feel like I am doing something wrong.  My husband is forever telling me to buy some things for myself and I just don't do it very often.  I ended up teasing my mom and telling her that I am ruined because of how I was raised to always make sure that there was money for everyone else and to put myself last.  It is true that my parents very rarely bought anything for themselves while I was growing up and I think as a parent I have started to model that.  I am going to work on treating myself once in a while (in moderation of course) and give myself a break on feeling bad about it.  Lord help me :)

As I went through this struggle with how I would like to be able to dress and what I would like to be able to feel free to do as far as getting my hair done and my nails and having a nice car etc.  This song came to mind and I started playing it over and over.  God uses music many many times to speak to me.  Each time I have had an opportunity since then I have played this song to remind myself. 

The song is "Identity" by Lecrae and part of what God was showing me is exactly what the chorus says:

I'm not the shoes I wear, I'm not the clothes I buy
I'm am not the house I live in, I'm not the car I drive
I'm not the job I work, You can't define my worth
By nothing on God's green earth, my identity is found in Christ.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=74a32jFEDP4 click to hear the music and see the lyrics.  It really makes you think!

Material things are not important.  We should all be thankful that we have cars and clothes etc.  The more important thing is who we are in Christ and how He sees us.  It doesn't matter what other people think. 

We are to set our minds on the things above and not on things on the earth (Col. 3:2). God will supply all our need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus (Phil. 4:19).

So WHY do I admit this and put this out there for people to read?  Because for ONE it helps me to admit that I struggle rather than just push it to the back burner and not deal with it and TWO there just might be someone out there that God will use this message to reach. 

We ALL have things that we struggle with.........the question is do we admit it and ask God to help us to deal with it...........