For a long time, my identity had been placed in the want to be known as the smart girl, a good person, successful, and accepted. I accepted Christ at a young age and grew up in a Christian home, but until high school, I didn’t understand the importance of placing my identity in God instead of the things of this world. Even though I knew that Christ had died for me, I was still looking to satisfy myself with academics and relationships.

At the beginning of my junior year, I went through a hard break-up. I was left feeling very lost because of the energy and identity I had placed into the relationship to try and keep us together. I looked more towards Jesus at that time, but ended up taking that identity I had found in my past relationship and placed it into my academics instead.

My senior year, I had what everyone else would say was the perfect college resume. I achieved every level of success that I had worked for, but to my surprise, this didn’t leave me feeling happy. My outlook changed February of my senior year. I remember getting called to the office to be congratulated for earning the title of valedictorian. Emptiness, which doesn’t even begin to accurately describe how I felt in that moment. I had worked for years for this moment, thinking it would bring me the acceptance and satisfaction I looked for… but it didn’t. All that I had worked for was ending as I was moving to college.

That’s when I realized I needed God to be my identity because academics, relationships, friendship, and everything else in this world didn’t satisfy me the way Jesus does. He died on the cross so that I could have a relationship with Him, and my identity be in Him only. I am still working on placing my identity completely in Christ, but I have learned that I can use my love of learning and relationships with others to bring God glory. Placing my identity in Him has taken stress and pressure off me.