Guest article by Lorie Hartshorn

I remember it like it was yesterday.

I had set out to take photos of my two little boys. Justin was almost three years old and Curtis was six months old. As any good mother would do, I dressed them in their matching tartan vests and headed to a photo center in a large retail store. The boys smiled on cue and I was a proud mom.

As I stood at the cash register to pay the clerk, I turned around – and Justin was gone!

I searched the area desperately, but he was nowhere to be found.

The clerk could see my desperation as I called his name louder with each passing minute. The staff called the manager and soon an announcement was made over the PA system. My mind was racing and my stomach was churning. How could I lose my beloved child?

Every parent’s worst nightmare flashed through my mind. Had he been kidnapped? The manager went to the front door to lock it while we searched him.

As he approached the double doors, he saw a little boy sitting on one of the coin-operated rides with a big smile on his face. He asked the boy his name; sure enough, it was Justin. The manager gently took him by the hand and brought him to me.

I cried and hugged him while the other sellers and even the customers cheered. My beloved son, one of the most precious people in my life, was gone – but what was lost was now found.

Fifteen years later, and my son got lost again.

He lost touch with his family and fell into a world of addiction and rebellion.

Within a few months, all three of our children were running away from Jesus and getting lost in the party scene. They weren’t the only ones who got lost.

I lost touch with who I am as a mother, wife, teacher and leader. The things that made me who I was had failed me. I was in the midst of an identity crisis. Who am I if I am a failed mother?

“Every human being is a reflection of God in this world, but we lost our true identity and purpose in the Garden. That is why Jesus came – to restore what was lost in the Garden and to enable us to find our true identity again. “

You are probably experiencing an identity crisis because the world is in an identity crisis. From young to old, people are trying to find themselves. What does it mean to be human? What is the meaning of life?

Identity is the core of who you believe you are. Identity defines you and is often tied to the things that give you value and meaning.

Unfortunately, we define ourselves by our relationships, things, our status, or the things we have done or not done. Are we up to the challenge? Who are we outside of our circumstances?

The truth is that answering these questions does not tell us who we are. It’s like looking into a distorting mirror and seeing a distorted reflection of yourself.

So where do we find a perfect mirror? A mirror that truly reflects who we are? I believe that Jesus is the perfect mirror. Jesus showed us who we should be.

Every human being is a reflection of God in this world, but we lost our true identity and purpose in the Garden. That is why Jesus came – to restore what was lost in the Garden and to enable us to find our true identity again.

Genesis 1:26a NLT Then God said, “Let us create human beings in our image, after our likeness.

Our task is to reflect God in this world and to be like him. Jesus shows us what that looks like. Jesus shows us who God is and what we are created for –his likenesses who share in his goal. We share God’s identity and mission – to represent him on this earth. But we lost all that in the garden. Satan stole it from us and humanity has been searching for it ever since. But God!

“He created us in His image to reflect His likeness and to participate in what He does. He invites us to come into a family, into a partnership, to bring His kingdom and His will to this earth – into our everyday experience..”

Ephesians 2:4,5 NLT But God is so rich in mercy and he loved us so much that even though we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life by raising Christ from the dead.

Jesus gives us life! Unfortunately, many of us live as if Christianity is just a ticket to heaven, which causes us to miss out on everything that is available to us today. We have resigned ourselves to a powerless Christianity. We go through life half awake, not knowing who we really are and what is available to us. When the family falls apart or the job falls apart, we feel the same way.

Identity and meaning in life are closely connected. I have been searching for my meaning in life for a long time and thought it might be something mysterious that God is keeping from me and I need to find out.

This is not how God planned our lives. He wants so much more for us. He created us in His image to reflect His likeness and to participate in what He does. He invites us to come into a family, into a partnership, to bring His kingdom and His will to this earth – into our everyday experience..

His kingdom has come and we miss it all too often.

We are overwhelmed by the challenges of life, look in the wrong mirrors and have a distorted image of ourselves.

God invites us to live like Jesus. To find your true self and your life purpose, you must look in the perfect mirror, and that mirror is Jesus. He shows us who we are meant to be and gives us everything we need to live the life He calls us to through the power of the Holy Spirit.

“We are not defined by our circumstances, our status, or our things, but by who God sees us as – His beloved child and His image. “

2 Peter 1:3 NLT By his divine power, God has given us everything we need to live a godly life.

1 John 4:17b NIV In this world we are like Jesus.

In the midst of difficult times, we can live like Jesus and reflect God in the world! We are not defined by our circumstances, our status, or our things, but by who God sees us as – His beloved child and His image. If your children have problems or your spouse leaves you, You can be the person God intended you to be.

After years of struggle, tears, and many prayers, God found our lost children and brought them home – home to Himself and home to their true identity in Christ.

God wants to lead you back to your true identity in Him because everything that was lost in the garden will be FOUND in Jesus!

It is also available to you.

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{Our humble thanks to Word Alive Press for partnering with us on today’s devotional.}