Every soul longs to be fully loved and known. No one understands this as much as Jesus, for this is the very desire of His own heart when He came down to Earth and took on human flesh – to be fully known and loved by us.

This desire is written in each and every one of our hearts. It is to every human being that God said, “before I formed you in the womb, I knew you; before you were born, I set you apart” (Jeremiah 1:5). Before anything else and above all else, you are known and loved by God. But in this fallen world that we are living in, it is extremely difficult to believe, hang on to, and dwell in His words. It is difficult to know and remember who we are and what we are made for when the world is always trying to steer us away from God, by offering us vanities and false identities that only make our longing grow stronger and our hearts even more restless.

For many of us, the worldly vanities and false identities got to us quick before God had the chance to really enter our lives and deeply plant our true identity. For the sake of being loved and known, we often craft our own identity, rooting it in academic achievements, education, career, social circle, money and all the physical things that it can provide us with: a big house, a nice car, or branded goods. This crafted identity is often followed by a need of social affirmation, constant feeling of being not good enough, and an endless pit of desire to want more – a hole in the heart that cannot be satisfied by the world. For me, it took twenty-two years of searching, wandering, exploring, asking the world who I am – a whirlwind of a journey that I do not wish on anyone, before I realized that the answer has always been written in my heart by God Himself.

It took me a while to realize that the world does not and will never have the answer to my question (and yours as well). The reason being is this: we are not of this world (John 15:19); therefore, the world does not know us but can only pretend. We can only look to our Creator for the answer, Him who knit us with love in our mothers’ wombs, Him who knows our inmost being (Psalm 139:13). Only in Christ will we find our truest identity and only in Him will our hearts peacefully rest.

It is not a secret why everyone wants to discover who they really are. I have seen many articles and social media posts on self-discovery or finding your true self. It is by knowing who we are that we unlock everything else. It is from our identity that everything flows, to name a few: self-worth, self-respect, love, purpose, confidence, and courage that dictate how we conduct ourselves with others. To only know who I think I am, is very much subjective and uncertain. I might fall into the trap of pride, selfishness, narcissism, self-hatred, and impostor syndrome, which I did.

On the contrary, to know who I really am, that is, a beloved daughter of God, created not for this world but for heaven, and called to be a Saint, gives me a steadfast foundation and power that the world cannot take away. Rooted in Christ, we realized that we are created for good and are called to holiness; we are called to love one another. With this realization, comes the humble confidence that we are set apart for greater purpose for God’s glory, the courage to do what is right and reject what is wrong in God’s eyes, the courage to will the good of the other out of sacrificial love, and the self-respect to treat ourselves well as we realized that our bodies and souls are gifts from God.

Take away my identity from Christ and I am nothing but a floating water lily that is cut from its stem, lost in the current of self-reliance, confusion, and uncertainty.

It is important to note for everyone, especially for parents, that our search for identity starts from infancy. From the first moment we opened our eyes, we look to things and people to tell us who we are. It is then in the family, the domestic church, that a child first comes to know his foundational identity, whether that be the right or the wrong one, that will set him up for the future. It is crucial for every child to know who they are and what they are made for.

Every child, fully loved and known by God, is made for heaven, and called to be a saint. Let this be planted firmly in their hearts – above all else.