Finding Identity, from a Fire Department Wife
Who we recognize ourselves to be and how others know us becomes our identity, which shapes everything else in our lives. When we place our identity in anything or anyone other than Christ, we are failing to recognize the new creation we have become, by grace through faith, in Him. 2 Corinthians 5:17 says that “the old has passed away and the new has come” when we accept and know Jesus Christ as our Savior. Within this new identity, our relationships with both Christ and our family changes. We have to remember that above all else, we are His children (Romans 8:15-16); our identity is not in our jobs or even our families for that matter. For this reason, as first responder wives, we simply cannot find our identity in what our husbands do for a living.
There is no doubt about it that first responders are known to live a life of sacrifice, selflessness and susceptibility. With this fact in mind, we have to be aware that while no one’s life is promised tomorrow, our husbands who are placed in dangerous conditions on a daily basis have a much lesser likelihood of such assurance. This not only includes the obvious safety of on-duty calls they run, but also their overall health from being exposed to different carcinogens within their line of work.
We have no idea when our own or another’s last day is. Anything that we could possibly place our identity in other than the Lord is temporary and therefore our identity can easily be altered if we let it. While it is a natural to talk about what we do (or what our husbands do) for a living once we get past sharing our name with someone, that is not who we are. The world system identifies people by what they do, but as citizens of heaven we are so much greater than that! It’s not so much what we do, but rather what He did on our behalf. As believers, we are entirely new creations, set apart for Kingdom work. This is a far greater responsibility than who we thought we were before, when we were set apart from God (Ephesians 5:8). That means that who we are will never fade away once we know Him.
Through this beautiful realization, we can stand firm and confident in the fact that no matter what happens on this side of heaven, we are rooted in something far greater than anything that will pass away. We have the freedom then, as first responder wives, to know that even if God chooses to take our husbands, we still have purpose. We are chosen by Him, adopted, redeemed, lavished by grace, and unconditionally loved daughters of the King. It is in this Truth that we can place our identity because it is who He says we are and that is something that can never be altered by life’s unpredictable circumstances. Let the Word of God shape you and tell you who you are, not the fickle patterns of this world.
Author: Brooke Markovich
Denver Fire Department Wife