I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. (Galatians 2:20 ESV)
“Identity” seems to be the buzzword of today. People are trying to figure out who they are and how to define their worth, sense of success, or even the suffering in their lives. Missionary life exposes how fragile our sense of identity can be—both for those we serve and for ourselves. We often meet people in their darkest moments: grieving a loved one, losing a job, or battling depression. Their pain is often compounded by a deeper question: Who am I now?
When Work Becomes “Who I Am”
While on furlough, I met a man in a church lobby who brought his daughter to the service because “she is into this Christian stuff.” As we talked, it became clear that his work defined him—his job was his identity. He couldn’t understand why I would leave a good job and go overseas to become a missionary. To him, what you do is who you are; what you achieve determines your worth.
Serving as a single in Latin America, I hear the same logic in different words: Why aren’t you married? Why don’t you have kids? Why leave the comfort of stability?
Reframing Success
After a counseling class on walking with people through loss, I realized that many human markers of success that define a life—career, family, accomplishments—aren’t how God measures worth. That night I wondered: What would an obituary look like for a missionary whose identity is in Christ? Writing one helped me see more clearly what true identity looks like.
My Imaginary Obituary
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. (2 Corinthians 5:17 ESV)
Jessica passed away on _______ at the age of ____.
Jessica was not famous. She was single, without children, and not wealthy. She never owned a house and only ever drove used cars. She was neither fashionable nor glamorous. She was not an intellectual—in fact, she struggled in school. She was neither athletic nor popular. Her musical abilities were average. Her body was not strong, and her short‑term memory faltered. She often misunderstood jokes and sarcasm. She was never tech‑savvy.
Where Worth Comes From
From a human standpoint, her life might not have seemed remarkable. But what gave her worth? Her worth did not come from herself or her accomplishments but from something greater. On her own she had little to boast about, yet her value was incalculable.
How is this possible? In a word—“eternity.”
The eternal, holy, all‑powerful Lord of the Bible planned for her before the earth began—down to her very name and every hair on her head. He brought about her existence. She was made by and loved by this God. He loved her even when she was in sin and, from before the foundation of the world, planned for her sin to be paid for and forgiven. Jesus’ love for her was so great, and he valued her so much, that he endured the most excruciating death and rose again to offer her forgiveness and an unparalleled opportunity for relationship with himself—to be completely known and unconditionally loved by the Lord of Life for all eternity.
Her life changed the moment she admitted her sin and asked for forgiveness. No longer overlooked, she received new life as an adopted child of the King of Heaven. She received a love that will never die, because it came from the one who lives forever. She was fully forgiven and kept by the finished work of Jesus. The one who created her promised an eternal existence even after death—to be with him forever and to see his glory.
A Different Measure of Success
This eternal promise gave her confidence to live differently and to measure success on a different scale. Her life was not defined by what she knew or did, but by whom she knew—and by the one who knew her.
On the mission field, God brought many people across her path to hear this same good news so they too could enter a relationship with him. Children, teens, and women were discipled in their new identity in Christ. God let her sit beside the hurting, the broken, and the empty to share this glorious hope of eternity. Because her life had been transformed, she was used by God to plant and water seeds of truth so that others could also be transformed. And the lives she touched in turn touched many more lives—faces she will encounter throughout the rest of her heavenly existence when all believers are face‑to‑face with Jesus. Only eternity will show the impact of what God did in and through her for his glory.
Her time on earth may have been short, but her future is glorious.
Your Turn
In Christ, it is not your past or your present, but your promised future that defines you. Thank Jesus for the identity he gives. Ask him to help you see his version of success and worth for you. Rejoice in the promise of eternity.
But I do not account my life of any value nor as precious to myself, if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God. (Acts 20:24, ESV)
