The 3 Lies We Believe About Ourselves

Aloha New Hope Leeward!

In his book The Return of the Prodigal Son, Henri Nouwen talks about three lies we believe every day—often without even realizing it. And these lies shape how we see ourselves.

LIE #1 — I AM WHAT I HAVE

My worth is based on what I’ve accumulated… especially compared to others.

LIE #2 — I AM WHAT I DO

How often do we meet someone and immediately ask, “What do you do?”

So much of our identity gets wrapped up in our work and performance.

LIE #3 — I AM WHAT OTHERS SAY ABOUT ME

The words spoken over us—good or bad, recent or years ago—start to define how we see ourselves.

I’d argue that our most important identities have very little to do with what we’ve done… and everything to do with who we belong to.

Think about it—

I’m a son because I have parents.

A brother because I have siblings.

A husband because I have a wife.

A father because I have children.

Now bring that into our relationship with God.

Even as Christians, we can fall into the same trap—finding our identity in what we’ve done for God, what we’re doing for God, or how others see us.

Same lies. Just dressed up spiritually.

But here’s the truth:

You are a son.

You are a daughter.

You are a child of God.

Why?

Because you have a loving Father.

Your identity is given to you by Him. You didn’t earn it—and you never will.

John 1:12-13 “Yet to all who did receive him… he gave the right to become children of God…”

This weekend we’re kicking off a brand new series: Who Am I? We’re going to explore what it really means to be a child of God—how we receive that identity, what it changes, and how we actually walk in it.

This might change the way you see yourself—and the way you relate to God.

And don’t come alone—think of someone in your life who needs to hear this and invite them to sit with you.

Can’t wait,