A New Identity in Christ
“He said to her, ‘Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering.’” (Mark 5:34)
In chapter seven of “Being with Jesus” by Jim Branch, that our Emerald Youth staff has been reading, we learn about the freedom from our brokenness that Christ offers to all of us.
Mark 5 tells of a woman who has suffered from bleeding for twelve years and that brokenness had become her identity. She suffered from her brokenness and pain, and she knew that if she could just touch Jesus she would be healed.
Today I ask myself, “What is there in me that is broken and needs to become whole again by Jesus? What truth does Christ want to replace with the lies that I have believed because of my brokenness?”
In Mark 5:34, Jesus is not only healing the woman, but giving her a new identity, and giving us all a new identity.
Jesus seems to say,
You are not broken. You are not an outcast. You are not a loser. You are not unclean. That is no longer who you are. You are mine! You are my child. You are my delight. From now on that is your identity.
We are encouraged by our new identity, but also as believers in Christ we are called to encourage the people around us of their identity.
Many of the children and teens that we work with have believed lies about their identity and accepted their brokenness as who they are.
We want to not only believe the truth about the identity for ourselves, but also encourage and remind young people in our city that they are not broken. They are set free. They are whole. They are dearly loved by God. They have a purpose.
~Brooke VanderSteeg
Communications Coordinator, Emerald Youth Foundation