Who Are You, and Why Are You Here?

Scripture has the answers to the deepest questions of identity and longing

In every heart lies a yearning to know:

Who am I?
Why am I here?

These are not just abstract musings but deep existential questions. In today's world, answers are often pursued through career milestones, curated social media personas, romantic relationships, or political activism. Yet in these pursuits of meaning, so many are left feeling untethered, disoriented, or empty. The Gospel puts forth something much different and more sturdy: a secure identity rooted in being God's beloved and a meaningful purpose anchored in His love.

You are not an accident. Scripture affirms this plainly: "It is He who made us, and we are His" (Psalm 100:3). The Bible opens by declaring that all humans are made in the image of God (Genesis 1:27) - a powerful foundation for dignity and worth. We mirror God in our creativity, moral sense, relationships, and capacity to love. But that image has been marred by sin, leaving a void in us. Augustine prayed, "You have made us for Yourself, O Lord, and our heart is restless until it rests in You."

That restlessness drives our identity crises and purpose-fueled anxieties. We try to self-create an identity through achievements or affiliations, but it rarely brings lasting peace. The Gospel message invites us into a different story: through Jesus Christ, we become new creations. "If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation" (2 Corinthians 5:17). This isn't poetic fluff. It means you're not just a collection of traits or titles - you're God's child, His friend, a citizen of heaven, a member of a royal priesthood.

Most importantly, this identity of yours is freely given, not achieved.

That's what makes it secure. You don't earn God's love - you receive it. Tim Keller often said that identity in Christ is the only identity not based on performance. That means you have nothing to prove and nothing to fear. When you know whose you are, certain questions find rest. You're accepted through Christ's sacrifice, significant because God has plans for you, and secure because nothing can separate you from His love (Romans 8:38-39).

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So what about purpose? The Westminster Catechism famously answers this: our chief end is "to glorify God and to enjoy Him forever." That may sound lofty and out there, but it's intensely practical. To glorify God means to reflect His character wherever you are. Enjoying God implies relationship - knowing Him, loving Him, and being known by Him. Jesus summarized it this way:

"This is eternal life: that they know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent" (John 17:3).

You have unique gifts and callings. Scripture calls you God’s workmanship - His poiēma, or poem (Ephesians 2:10). That suggests artistry and intention. Your life isn't a random assortment of experiences; it's a story authored by God with particular good works prepared for you. Maybe it's raising children, mentoring youth, working in a challenging environment with integrity, creating beautiful things, or sharing the gospel where it's least known. Perhaps it's a mix of these. The point is, purpose isn't a narrow path but a wide invitation: serve God and others with what you have, where you are.

The world's version of purpose can feel like a treadmill:

Make money.
Retire.
Die.

But God invites you into a grander narrative.

Even mundane tasks gain meaning when done for God's glory. Colossians 3:17 says, "Whatever you do... do it in the name of the Lord Jesus." Whether you're an artist, a teacher, an engineer, or a stay-at-home parent, your work can be sacred. There is no sacred/secular divide in the Christian vision. All of life is an opportunity to embody and reflect God's goodness.

The world often tells you to create your own identity and purpose. While that sounds liberating, it's actually exhausting. Imagine being tossed into a vast ocean with no compass and told to chart your own way. No wonder so many feel lost. Society hands us ready-made identities - consumer, political ideology, gender and sexuality, ethnicity. While some of these are important points of discussion, they are too fragile to build a life on. If your identity is your job and you lose it, who are you? If your purpose is happiness and life gets hard, what then?

Christianity offers an identity and purpose that suffering cannot take away. Even in hardship, there's meaning. Trials can refine character, deepen dependence on God, and serve as a witness to others. C.S. Lewis noted:

"The books or the music in which we thought the beauty was located will betray us if we trust to them; it was not in them, it only came through them, and what came through them was longing. These things - the beauty, the memory of our own past - are good images of what we really desire; but if they are mistaken for the thing itself they turn into dumb idols, breaking the hearts of their worshippers. For they are not the thing itself; they are only the scent of a flower we have not found, the echo of a tune we have not heard, news from a country we have never visited."

Jesus once said, "Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for My sake will find it" (Matthew 10:39). It’s a paradox that leads to freedom: surrendering your self-made identity leads to discovering your God-given one. One is small and finite; the other is grand and infinite.

The journey to discovering identity and purpose is not merely intellectual. It’s also fiercely relational. Jesus invites you to walk with Him. Through Scripture, you see who you are and where you're going. Through prayer, you invite God's voice and presence to drown out the noise. Through community, you're supported and sharpened. The church and other forms of Christian fellowship become the place where individual identities are affirmed and communal purpose is lived out. Together, we are Christ’s body, bringing His love to each other and to a fractured world.

A helpful metaphor Jesus used was the vine and branches (John 15). "I am the vine; you are the branches," He said. A branch separated from the vine withers. Connected, it flourishes. That’s the Gospel's invitation: stay connected to Christ. From that connection, identity and purpose flow.

Another picture: a tree rooted in deep soil. Shallow roots won't withstand the storm. But being rooted in God's love makes you resilient.

Finding your identity in Christ doesn’t erase your uniqueness. It redeems it. God doesn’t make you generic. He restores your truest self. A person secure in Christ can be both humble (because their worth isn't earned) and bold (because their value is settled). They can love others freely - even their enemies - without fearing rejection, say no to distractions without anxiety, and persevere through hardships knowing their life counts for something eternal.

For anyone exhausted by trying to craft an image or chase meaning, Jesus offers a simple, powerful invitation: "Come, follow Me."

In following Him, you find yourself. Not the self shaped by trends or trauma, but the self God envisioned from the start. As St. Francis of Assisi said, "It is in giving that we receive; in dying that we are born to eternal life."

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