Galatians 3:23-29
We carry a lot of identities with us. We are parents and grandparents, friends and neighbours, workers and volunteers. We are shaped by our families, our communities, our experiences, our successes, and our disappointments.
Some of those identities bring us joy. Others can become burdens we carry. And sometimes, without realizing it, we begin to measure our worth by them. Am I successful enough? Am I useful enough? Am I needed? Am I doing enough?
In Galatians, Paul offers us another place to begin. He reminds the early Christian community that through Christ, they have become children of God. Before all the other things that describe us, there is this deeper identity: we belong to God.
That identity isn’t something we have to earn. It isn’t dependent on what we accomplish, how others see us, or whether we get everything right.
It is a gift.
And maybe part of growing in faith is learning to remember who we are, not because we have forgotten completely, but because the world gives us so many other things to remember.
This week, before reaching for your phone, checking the news, or beginning the day’s responsibilities, take a moment to breathe. Place your feet on the floor and simply become aware that you are here. Then say quietly:
“I am a beloved child of God.”
Take a breath.
Repeat it again:
“I am a beloved child of God.”
You don’t have to make yourself feel anything in particular. You don’t have to prove the words are true. Just say them.
As you move through your day, notice the moments when you begin to measure yourself by something else – your productivity, someone else’s opinion, a mistake you made, something you wish you had done differently, or something you feel you should have accomplished.
When you notice it, pause and return to the prayer:
“I am a beloved child of God.”
Let that be enough for a moment. At the end of the day, take one final breath and ask:
“How did remembering who I am change the way I moved through today?”
You may discover that knowing who you are doesn’t necessarily change your circumstances. But it can change the place from which you meet them.
You don’t have to earn your place at God’s table. You don’t have to prove that you belong. You are already God’s beloved. Remember who you are.
Let’s pray:
Loving God, when we forget who we are, remind us that we are your beloved children. Help us receive your love without needing to earn it, and carry that knowledge into everything we do. May your love become the foundation from which we live, serve, and love others. AMEN