One of the biggest struggles we deal with is identity. Understanding and feeling security in who we are underlies much of the issues we face. Today’s world has cultivated a lot of confusion about what defines a person’s identity, giving us a lot of mixed messages about what is most important: job, talents, skills, gender, finances, heritage, ethnicity, education, relationships, intelligence, experiences, etc. We often find ourself chasing some of these things so hard that we can get lost in them or feel lost without them. While these all contribute to the picture, there is only one thing that truly defines who we are and that is our identity in Christ. If we can help children realize this, we can build the foundation of their identity in unshakeable truths so that they do not NEED those other things to define them. Instead, those things are vehicles by which God brings our identity to life.
One tool created to help children understand their identity in Christ is the Scripture-based “I’m a Child of the King for Kids.” Walking through each statement with your child and looking at the correlating Scriptures provides an opportunity to discuss how God sees them and what their relationship with Christ means. Ask your child what statements they believe are true and which ones they have a hard time believing and then ask them why. As you discuss these statements of truth, ask them describe how they see them to be true in their life and explain how you see them to be true in your life and theirs. Give them examples, have them draw the statements, get them to restate it in their own words, ask God to help make it real and true in their hearts and minds. Help them see that unlike every other aspect of who they are, who God says they are is secure and cannot be taken from them, redefined, twisted, or lost. Go over it again at different ages and stages in their life so they know and understand their true identity. You can find “I’m a Child of the King for Kids” as well as “I’m a Child of the King” (original version) at impactcounseling.com under “Client Resources.”
Natalie Bartoo, LPC