What Was I Made For? Exploring Identity in Christ

It's official. The Barbie movie blew box office records and became Warner Brothers’ highest grossing film globally surpassing the Dark Night and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. Many expected this success as movie goers flocked to see a film that would  make them feel warm and nostalgic.  We were ready to embark on a fun, quirky journey watching Barbie materialize from her plastic world into the real one we live in. Without sharing spoilers, it seems that audiences were surprised by serious themes explored in what we expected to be a light film. 

Take the popularized song, “What Was I Made For?” written by Billie Ellish for the Barbie movie. The song’s slow melodic and rhythmic patterns are intentionally crafted to help the listener get in their feelings. Overall, the song gives off a sense of hopelessness, as the lyrics read “When did it end? All the enjoyment

I'm sad again,..”. Maybe you too feel like these lyrics hit close to home.  

Ever feel like your life isn’t quite what it was meant to be? Like there’s more somehow, or something you’re missing? You’re not alone in that. Many of us have been desperate for an answer to the question “What was I made for?”

Some of us have delusions of grandeur thinking we can be the center of it all, while others of us struggle with a debilitating self-doubt wondering if there’s a place for us at all. Somewhere on that spectrum between those two worldviews stands you. 

The beauty of the good news of Jesus is that you were made on purpose for a purpose and that there’s a place for you. There’s a role that only you can occupy and a piece of the puzzle that only you can fill. There’s something that you bring to the collective table that no one else does or can.

So the truth of the matter is that you’re neither the center of the universe, nor are you insignificant in it. The God who made it all has His gaze fixed on you. And this holy King welcomes you into a relationship with Him. But the story doesn’t stop there. That’s actually just the beginning.

To say yes to Jesus is to say yes to a life of abundance found in walking with and serving Him. Getting to know Him, and helping restore His Creation one person and one place at a time. Serving Jesus sounds complex, but the Bible says to serve the least, the last and the lost in His name is to serve Him. So giving a sandwich to a hungry person is like giving one to God. Whatever you do, you can do it as if you were doing it for God. 

Living this way means that every moment is dripping with holy significance and that you, small as you may feel at times, are playing a role in the Grand plan of the God who holds all things together and who is in the process of making all things new. You were made for more, and it starts with knowing the one who made you.