Sept 12th, 2021: Life Idenitity?
I see had dinner with a young couple last Friday. After dinner, the young lady had a hard time locating their car key in her purse. I told them that "Looking for a car key in a woman's purse is like trying to find our identity." It sounded like a naughty comment. However, the more I think about it, it makes sense.
How are we going to find our life identity? (How is one going about to find anything in one's purse?) Here are some suggestions I have come across.
Empty it. That is a good idea. It is not anti biblical to consider emptying oneself to find one's identity. We have to be free from all of the entanglements of life so we might discover what God has given us.
Shake it out. It is a bit more aggressive than just emptying it. Things might bunch up together inside, and that makes it hard to identify them. We need to shake off all of our ungodly desires and habits in order to see God in us.
Clean it. It is always good to have a clean purse (I only assume. I never own one) and freshly smell one. For Christians, it is sanctification. We need to have the obedience and submission to let God cleanse us from the inside out.
Keep what we need and remove the rest. Many women have told me they don't know why they keep so many things they don't need in their purses. Idolatry is the most challenging struggle for us. How can we have a clear set of priorities so we won't live life with unnecessary burdens? We will be bogged down and discourage.
Philippians 4: 6-8
"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things."