Identity shapes behavior

The identity of a person is the set of characteristics that distinguish that person from other individuals, groups of individuals or things. This set of characteristics is very diverse: gender, age, height, weight, temperment, confidence, interests, focus, talents, gifts, personal history, spirituality, origin and destiny. This is a very wide array of attributes and it is important to realize that some of them are more critical in determining the way we behave than others. Yes, your height may determine whether you are more aligned with a career in baseball or as a jockey, but if a person has no confidence can they be successful at either? There are several of these characteristics that influence behavior in a much greater way than the others. They are, in fact, the foundational pillars of all human actions, interactions and reactions. They are spirituality, origin and destiny. These are keystones to your idenity and they affect everything you think, say and do. It's important to define each in context. Sprituality here means the awareness that you are at the core a spirit being and you possess your mind, your will and your emotions. Next, a person who believes they are the result of a long chain of random accidents sees the world much differently than someone who knows they are a puposefully created being. Finally, someone who has no assurance of what happens when their physical body dies thinks and acts differently than someone who knows they will live on into eternity with their Creator. Identity shapes behavior. Our reaction to the circumstances of our lives is guided by how we believe we fit into the universe and the unfolding story of life. There is no better identity than knowing you were created by God and His Son, reconciled to the Father through the bood sacrifice of His Son Jesus Christ, becoming sons and daughters of the Royal Family of God, and knowing our destiny through eternity is with God Almighty.