I am a child of God.

When you put your faith in Jesus, this is one of the first truths you learn. As Paul says in his second letter to the Corinthians, “…the new creation is come: the old has gone, the new is here!” (2 Corinthians 5:17b) And what is this new creation? “To all who received him, to those who believe in his name, he gave the right to become children of God — children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God” (John 1: 12-13).

I am–and I hope you are too!–a child of God. It is who we are at our very core, but it is also the standard by which we live our lives. As 1 John 3:2b says: “…our identity as a child of God means that we rely fully on God and trust in His plan for our lives.” Much like children depend and expect their earthly parents to sustain them, so we put our confidence in our Heavenly Father to provide for us.

Pretty words, and an even nicer thought, right? And it’s something that’s really easy to do…when we’re sitting in a pew on Sunday morning. Or when we’re participating in a Tuesday morning Bible study. Or when we’re asked to lead a Thursday night prayer. In those moments, I am all-in with my identity as a child of God.

But what about on Friday night when I’m deciding which movie to watch with my friends? Or when the bills are piling up and the stress of parenting has frayed my last nerve? Or what about when I overhear one coworker gossip about another one?

Who I am then?

Or, rather, WHOSE am I then?

You see, what God desires is that the world would look at us and immediately recognize that WE ARE HIS. Even if they can’t quite put their finger on it, they should be able to tell by our words, actions, and deeds that there is something different about us, something not-of-this-world. And, when we choose to consume media that honors God or grab onto the peace that transcends our circumstances or refuse to participate in activities that harm others—all things that are by definition counter-cultural in this day and age–we are placing our trust in Him and in who He says we are. Despite the looks we may get or the criticism we may receive, there is a kind of calm that envelops us in those moments–those moments when we live in harmony with our true identity:

That of a child of God.

So as we roll through this Advent season, I hope you will remember who and WHOSE you are.

You aren’t just a child of God on Sunday.

You aren’t just a child of God on Christmas or Easter or any other holy day.

You are a child of God EVERY DAY.

Let’s live like it.

Let’s love Him.

Let’s trust Him.

Let’s glorify Him.

All day. Every day.