Identity Crisis
Throughout my life, I’ve felt like I’ve had a different identity in different settings.
Growing up, I was known as the picky eater in my family. When I got married, my wife’s family referred to me as the guy who would eat anything.
In some groups, I was labeled the funny guy. My dry sense of humor seemed to be a hit with these folks, so I cracked a lot of jokes. Unfortunately, when I tried to make a serious point, these friends assumed I was joking and laughed.
In other situations, I was considered the serious guy. When I tried to make a joke, silence followed, and I had to explain I was joking.
When I’m discussing issues with different friends or relatives, my views sometimes are labeled “conservative” or “liberal.” The views I present are the same, but they are being interpreted through vastly different worldviews.
This month’s Light & Life Magazine discusses our identity in Jesus Christ, which is far more important and constant than how other people identify us. According to 2 Corinthians 1:22, God “has identified us as his own by placing the Holy Spirit in our hearts as the first installment that guarantees everything he has promised us” (NLT).

Jeff Finley, Managing Editor
Downloadable PDF: LLM January 2015
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Features
- Table of Contents
- [Feature]: Never Too Old
- [Foundation]: Not Witness Protection
- [Bishops]: Scarred and in Love
- [History]: Bishop Emeritus Robert F. Andrews 1927±2014
- [Action]: Cultivate Health
- [Free Methodist Church News and Briefs]: Prayer Summit to Launch National Prayer Ministry
- [Discipleship]: The Junior High Philosophy