"Winning isn't everything; it's the only thing."
Moses and identity
By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh’s daughter. He chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. He regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward. Hebrews 11:24-26The issue of identity is regularly addressed in the weekly email as it is an issue of great importance for those of us who live in the world of sport. When describing ourselves we tend to say that we are an athlete, a golfer, a runner, a volleyball player etc. This is natural as it is a significant part of who we are. Yet none of these are our ultimate identity.
Moses was made, adopted into the royal family of Egypt; he had it all going for him. Yet the passage is striking. He “refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh’s daughter” because he realized that his real identity was as part of God’s family. What a striking phrase that is: “He regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt”.
You may be successful and even rich because of your sporting accomplishments but Moses would say to you that these are fleeting pleasures compared with life with God and Jesus Christ for ever.
Robert Solomon commenting on this passage says “We must know who we are and then reject anything (no matter how tempting or promising) that would draw us away from the true blessings of knowing and obeying God”.
Where is your identity?