I am a Child of the King

Who am I? This question drives just about every action we take, every decision we make, and ultimately, everything we do.

We are born with an innate desire to belong. As an infant, the perfect picture of belonging is being cradled in your parent’s arms, fully embraced and cooed at as your eyes flutter shut in complete contentment. Not a care in the world, as everything you could ever need is right in front of you. This idyllic picture is not reality for many and certainly not reality as you grow up.

Pretty quickly, we start to develop a sense of self and attempt to establish it, like the first time you say, “No” to your parents… we think, “I have control over myself.” Or when you consciously do the thing you were explicitly told not to do, just to see how bad it would really be.

As we grow, our search for community begins. It may be proximity or shared interests that attract our friends and form a group. When we are young, so much of our identity is placed on who we spend time with and labels form, pigeonholing us into a narrow category of who we are socially.

If not socially, perhaps it is our accomplishments that define us, like getting good grades, being a star athlete or even the favorite child. As an adult, it is easy to place your identity in your occupation. After all, one of the first questions upon meeting someone is, “So, what do you do for a living?”

We may search for identity in someone else… a partner, a friend, a parent. If I can’t figure out who I am, maybe they can, or at least fill the gaps in my heart. But no matter the avenue or how hard we try, there is always a piece missing and a void we cannot fill, making us slaves to our desire for wholeness.

I’ll let you in on a little secret, the only One who can satisfy the human heart is the One who created it.

“Then God said, ‘Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness’… God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.”
Genesis 1:26-27

Take that in. We are created by the author of the universe, in His image. We are so much more than our achievements and relationships, we are first and foremost, Children of God.

“And because we are his children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, prompting us to call out, ‘Abba, Father.’ Now you are no longer a slave but God’s own child. And since you are his child, God has made you his heir.“
Galatians 4:6-7

So I choose to identify as a Child of the King. When nothing goes as planned and the world fails me, there is one thing that does not change… I am a child of the Most High and in Him I seek refuge. No matter the circumstance, I have the One on my side. I can call out His name when I feel out of control or incomplete, because in Him I find peace.