Remember Who You Are
Remember Who You Are
Your assignment may change. Your identity never will.
I’ve been unsuccessfully fighting back tears most of the morning. You know the feeling—that tingling in your sinuses with the occasional nasal drip finding its way out onto the tip of your nose.
I’m in Missouri for the annual commissioning of new missionaries for our primary global missions partner. This morning, they did something completely and totally unfair—they paraded in all the missionary kids. Then they invited the graduating seniors—most of whom are leaving their families to move back to the States for college—to pray over the new babies heading to the mission field for the very first time.
Yeah…I know. Now you’re crying too, aren’t you?
The Words That Stayed with Me
But it was the charge the MK (missionary kids) director gave to the seniors that may have moved me the most:
“You served faithfully with your parents for many years. Most of you didn’t have any say in the matter. Your parents responded to God’s call to go, and you had little choice but to go with them. You left your home, your grandparents, your school, your friends. Thank you.
But now you’re entering a new season of life. It will probably mean less time in airports. It will definitely mean fewer visa renewals, border crossings, and suitcases to pack.
But I want to remind you of one thing—those were things God asked you to do. Those things are not who you are.
You are a child of God, made in His image, of infinite worth and value. Your identity is not “missionary kid.” Your identity is “one who Jesus loves.” The gospel that you and your family proclaimed across cultures and around the world is just as true for you today as it is for all those who found Christ because your family said “yes.”
As you step into this new season, remember who you are.”
The Rest of Us Need This Too
Most of you who get this newsletter aren’t missionary kids, but that message is just as true for you today, too. Your identity is not accountant, barista, electrician, property manager, or even stay-at-home parent. Those are things you do, and they are incredible daily opportunities for you to worship God and love your neighbor through the work of your hands.
But your identity—the thing that will never change with your job, your geography, or your season of life—is this:
Image bearer. Child of God. One whom Jesus loves.
So whatever God has asked you to do today, remember who you are.
Erik Cooper
Erik began his career in the business world before spending twelve years in full-time ministry, serving on staff at a large suburban church and later as a church planter in downtown Indianapolis. Today, he serves as the President of a family of business-oriented nonprofit organizations that work together to mobilize the marketplace to make Jesus known in the world. He leads The Stone Table, which equips marketplace believers and invests in global mission initiatives, and Community Reinvestment Foundation, a nonprofit real estate company providing high-quality affordable housing in Indiana and directing its profits to missions through The Stone Table.
