Coach's Corner
Warm-Up
Let’s play Sharks and Minnows. One person is the shark and stands in the middle, while the rest run and try not to get tagged. If a minnow gets tagged, they become a shark and help tag! Go until one minnow remains!
Workout
When playing that game, your identity was based on if you got tagged or not. At first, all of us, except one, was as a minnow! Then by the end, all of us, except one, became a shark!
Let’s now talk about an identity that never changes and is not random.
For this week and next week, we will focus on our first truth: you were made on purpose for a purpose.
Repeat after me:
“I was made on purpose” (wait for repeat).
“For a purpose” (wait for repeat).
Again, “I was made on purpose” (wait for repeat).
“For a purpose” (wait for repeat).
This is such an important truth to hold onto.
We all look or act like someone. Maybe you have someone’s eyes, hair color, height, or some characteristic. But whether we resemble someone or not, our identity stems from God—He made us in His image.
In the Bible, we learn that “…God created human beings in his own image. In the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.” – Genesis 1:27
The Bible is telling us, that all of us sitting here, were made on purpose to reflect God.
As children of God, we are made in the image of God. We are made uniquely, and specifically to resemble God so that others know we belong to Him. We are made on purpose to show off God’s glory and love. When people look at us, they can see we are a part of God’s family because God has shared His beautiful characteristics with us.
In the Book of Psalms, we read how God made us: “You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother’s womb.” – 139:13
He chose to make you all delicately (point to different people).
How does that make you feel? Think about that in your head.
Doesn’t that make you feel so special? So wanted? So valuable?
It is so important to know that God’s first play in His game plan reminds us that we were created by Him for a purpose. So, we can be confident that our identity, the thing that makes us unique, is found in God, our Heavenly Father. We will always be a son or a daughter of God, and nothing can change that.
Think about our game we played at the beginning. When you got tagged, your identity changed; you became something else. In this life, many things will happen to you and around you. Your position, your team, even where you live or go to school. But unlike the changing circumstance of this world, our identity and who we are will never change. We are God’s forever, and that is why He made us on purpose, for a purpose.
Wrap-Up
Let’s listen as we pray.
“Dear God, thank You for making me on purpose for a purpose. I know I am made to show Your love and glory to all who see me. I know that my identity in You will never change. Please let others see You when they see me. You made me to look like You. Let me have confidence in that and know I am Yours. Amen.”