It's a plot from a movie or soap opera.  The main character gets hit on the head, suffers from amnesia, and totally forgets who they are and what their name is.  So, they are cohersed or led by others who try to convince them to be someone they are not. 

Maybe they were mean and now their "friends" convince them they are kind and generous.  Or in the case of the great cinematic classic Overboard, starring Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell, the main character is rich and the guy who rescues her convinces her she is the mother of his motherless children who cooks and cleans all day long.

There truly is nothing new under the sun.

Luke 15 tells the story of the prodigal son.  While he couldn't be diagnosed with medically defined amnesia, he certainly had emotional and spiritual amnesia.  He forgot that he was the son of a loving father.  Once he had made some mistakes and gone astray, he took on the identity of groveling servant. 

But the father told him to not forget his true identity.

The Father said, "You are my child.  Welcome home!  You are loved!"

And so it is with us.

We get hit square between the eyes with pains and wounds and mistakes and struggles.  And we forget our true identity.  We begin to define ourselves diffently.  

Before, we were be-bopping through life.  But now, we are the victim. Of a heinous crime or an assault or a betrayal or an unimaginable loss.

And we hear the whispers that convince us we are damanaged goods.  We are powerless.  We are hopeless.  We are scared and shaking in our boots and we will never feel safe or whole again.

We listen.  And we take on this new identity. 

We suddenly feel we are a ball of anxiety.  We are worthless.  We are beyond help.  Fear and anger and grief consume us. 

Again and again, we hear the whispers of this new identity.  And we become convinced. That our lives are forever changed and can never be as they were.

We forget who we are.

And it's a lie from the pit of hell.  

It might be true that we will not be who we were before. 

But it's not true that we are victims. We do not have to be defined by the things that happen to us.

Instead, we must remember that after the heartache, after the trauma, after the pain and woundedness and struggles...we are not victims.  We are survivors.

We must quit allowing ourselves to be convinced that we are who our circumstances or who other people say we are.  We must recognize that how others treat us need not define us.

Because while we are wrestling in the mud with the pigs, eating out of their slop, we think we aren't worth anything better.

All the while, a loving father sits on a porch, eyes trained on the horizon, desperate for the first sight of us. 

We think we must grovel and manipulate and beg and plead to perhaps be lucky enough to be a servant.

When God says you are my child.

Have you forgotten who you are?

Let me remind you.

You are BELOVED.  God says, "I have loved you with an everlasting love.  I have drawn you with unfailing kindness," Jeremiah 31:3.

No matter how others have treated you...remember this.  Or if you feel God has mistreated you. Take him at his word and ask him to write the above verse on your heart. Ask him to help your unbelief (Mark 9:24).

The God of the universe loves you beyond what you can comprehend.  He loved you so much that he sent his only son. Your feelings may say one thing.  But the historical facts say that Jesus loved you to death.  

Keep reminding the enemy that every time he accuses you otherwise.

You are a CHILD OF GOD. You have been adopted as a child, a co-heir with Jesus himself.  Loved as God the Father loved Jesus the Son. "See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!" 1 John 3:1

You are NEVER ALONE.  You may feel all alone, wrapped in the pain of your hurts.  But "The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you," Deuteronomy 31:8.

You are WHOLE IN CHRIST. You may feel shattered in a million pieces and call yourself broken beyond repair.  But the Word tells us that "In Christ, you have been brought to fullness," Colossians 2:10. In this life, we may feel like Humpty Dumpty put back together, with scars to show for our sorrows.  Remember that even the best fullness here is still not yet complete.  Because for all of eternity, we will be whole beyond our comprehension.  

You are in the LIGHT. It feels dark where you are.  Pitch black. Suffocating.  But God says, "The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it," John 1:5.  Cry out for him to be the light, even the tiniest ray of light, there in your dark places. Believe him for it.

You aren't just a survivor...you are a CONQUEROR. We can stand on the promise of Romans 8:37, "No in ALL these things, we are more than conquerors through him who loved us."  You, dear bloggy friend, are more than a conqueror.  Proclaim the resurrection power of the blood of Jesus over your pains. Remind the accuser who is boss.

You are an OVERCOMER. "You dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world," 1 John 4:4.

Your amnesia tells you that things will never get better.  You are defined by your circumstances.  Your wounds dictate who you are. And the pain you've endured has stolen your future and your identity and your hope.

And it's all a lie.  It's all a lie from the pit of hell.

Because your identity is secure in the powerful name of Jesus and what he's done for you.  By his stripes, you find healing (Isaiah 53). He will redeem your life from this pit and crown you will love and compassion. The Lord works righteousness and justice for all the oppressed (Psalm 103). 

He is your refuge, your defender, your strong tower, your hope and your future. 

And you are a child of the King of Kings.

Please don't forget who you are.

Begin to drown out the lies and false identity with the truth of God's word and the power of prayer.  Read the Word, write it out, claim it, pray it...and believe it.  

Because God has much to say about your true identity.  And we have an enemy who wants us to listen to him instead.

But don't.

Intentionally fill your mind with the truth.  Listen to the lyrics of such great songs as Mandisa's Overcomer, or Mercy Me's Greater, or Francesca Battistelli's He Knows My Name.

"You're an overcomer, stay in the fight 'til the final round, you're not going under, 'cause God is holding you right now.  You might be down for a moment, feeling like it's hopeless, that's when he reminds you, that you're an overcomer!"

"Bring your doubts, bring your fears, bring your hurt and bring your tears.  There'll be no condemnation here.  You are holy, righteous and redeemed."

"He calls me chosen, free forgiven, wanted, child of the King, his forever, held in treasure.  I am loved.  I don't need my name in lights, I'm famous in my Father's eyes...he knows my name."

I implore you to listen in and hear me clearly. No matter what mere man has done to you or called you or made you believe about yourself.

It's not who you are.

It's not your identity.

Your identity was secured on a cross two thousand years ago. And you are priceless.  You are invaluable.  You are precious and you are loved and you are highly regarded.  And in the Throne Room of heaven, Jesus lives to intercede for you (Hebrews 7:25).  When your pain is so deep that no words come, remember that the Holy Spirit intercedes for God's people (Romans 8:27). 

When it just doesn't make any sense...what has happened to you...remember that we see only dimly.  We see only the surface of God's miraculous tapestry that he is weaving.  We see only this difficult plot line, but God knows the never ending happy ending. In this world we have tribulation...but he has overcome the world.

As I sit here, I see you in my mind's eye.  I picture your faces. The stories I know...the readers who've filled me in...and those who read this that I've never met.

Please hear me. Don't forget who you are.

You are not the sum total of the pains inflicted upon you or the even what others say you are.

The Lord of all creation has something to say about who you are. 

And he hikes up his robes and runs to you to say, "You are mine. Rest in my arms.  Let me take up the fight.  You are bloodied and bruised from the battle.  But this is a war that I win."