In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.

I often fail to appropriately dwell on the immense beauty in that our Lord came to us, fully human. He did not stay hidden up above, floating amongst the clouds, leaving us to wonder if he ever hears our calls or knows our struggles. “I have come into the world as a light,” Jesus said, “so that whoever believes in me may not remain in darkness” (John 12:46).

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In today’s passage, Paul writes that once we believe in the truth and light of Jesus, the Holy Spirit becomes a seal on our being. His presence promises and ensures our heavenly inheritance until the day heaven is restored on earth. Many times through his Word, God tells us that we are his children who inherit the Kingdom, meaning that the beauty of heaven is already prepared and will one day be revealed and given to us in full. But what does it mean about ourselves that we are children of God, ones who are promised such inheritance? What does this mean about who we are, and how do we respond to this gift?

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Our Lord, in his ultimate love, tells us many things about ourselves in his Word. He tells us that we are made new in him (2 Corinthians 5:17), never alone (Joshua 1:9), peace-filled (John 14:27), and worth it (John 3:16). He tells us that we are heard (John 55:17), healed (1 Peter 2:24), and can hold our heads high (Psalm 3:3).

When I was growing up, I was told I could be anything I wanted to be. This was a step forward, in many ways, because the generations of women that have gone before me were not given this same independent-minded message. But this wasn’t the full truth, because without first accepting who God tells me that I am, dependence only on myself yielded much pain.

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When I was in charge of my identity, the world simultaneously mattered and didn’t matter. What mattered was establishing a commendable career, but it didn’t really matter what I did with my body during college, as long as I was in charge. What mattered was my mental health, but it didn’t really matter if those around me were suffering too, because there wasn’t enough for everyone anyway, and even if there were, that would take too much time. What mattered were the life-changing trips I could experience, but it didn’t really matter if I left people in the dust as I moved along, as long as I did what felt right for my next step.

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We hear this all the time…but it’s true that the world will never and can never encourage us to live in the identity that God has called us to, solely because living for the world means we are not living in God.

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I still have many questions about who God says I am. I still wrestle with Scripture and need routine prayer time with the Lord to continue showing me who I am called to be as his child. The beauty of the Scriptures of identity above are easy to see (even though they may be harder to truly accept). But there is other Scripture, different for each person, that the enemy has dramatically warped throughout history in a way that now distorts our perception of God, who he asks us to be, and why.

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But because I am sealed toward the inheritance of heaven, I know that my Father has set before me a life—the only life—worth living, because the truth of heaven is the only thing truly worthwhile. This is true even when, and maybe especially when, the identity God has gifted and entrusted me with is challenged by what the world has so convincingly told me I am “allowed” to choose for myself.

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My prayer for us all is that we allow ourselves to seek God, because his way is not to seek control, but to produce life and love through truth. Personally, I know that I still have a long, beautiful, way to go in learning that truth in different areas of my life. But by the grace of God (a phrase that I do not deserve), I can move in things I do not yet understand until Jesus returns to restore his Kingdom, our great inheritance, for eternity.

Lord, thank you for setting before me a way to walk in truth. I ask forgiveness for the ways I let the world tell me who I am instead of living who you tell me I am. I trust that, even in the places I do not yet understand the righteousness of your ways, you will help me walk toward you. I want to be who you say that I am. In Jesus’ mighty and loving name, Amen.