Living Water by Leason Dancaescu

Surfer, hippie, rebel, skater, punker, partier, gamer, liberal, conservative… the world loves to try and put you in a box, to identify you with sweeping generalizations. “He/She is a surfer, they must be a lazy beach bum.” Words are important. Scripture tells us “the power of life and death is in the tongue,” so be careful with the words you accept and with the words you say about yourself.

If we agree with what others say, we can begin to believe and say those things about ourselves. If someone tells you enough times that you are a failure or unworthy of love, eventually you can begin to believe that yourself. If we agree with what the world says about us and begin to say those things about ourselves - those things can become a part of our character. 

I think it is an important distinction to make, as Christians, we are called to be IN the world but not OF the world. To me this means that we live by a different standard than the world. If you ever find yourself lost or questioning your identity, I urge you to read the Scriptures and reflect on who the Lord says you are - That is your identity. 

I love that we, as a ministry, are called “Christian Surfers” not surfers who follow Christ or something like that. To me, it perfectly encapsulates the identity question: we are Christians first. We are not called to accept what others say about us as surfers, instead we view our identity through the lens of the WORD OF GOD. 

Who does God say Christians (as a whole, and in turn, you) are? THAT is where we should find our identity.

Who do you trust with your identity? Do you let the world define you? Maybe you feel that what you say about yourself can identify you. 

You are not who society says you are, you are not even who YOU say you are… you are who the Lord says you are: you are fearfully and wonderfully made; you are a bearer of His Divine image; you are chosen and deeply loved.