Joan Fletcher | Heal the nation - Part 1

I love Jamaica. I believe in who we are as a people - that we are strong and resilient. I believe in the tenets of our pledge - our capacity to be wise, to love, to be loyal, to be strong, to stand up for justice, brotherhood and peace, to work diligently and creatively, and to think generously and honestly. I believe that we have and continue to play our part in advancing the welfare of the human race. We are a great nation and I know that I'm not the only one who believes that.

The challenge for many of us is that 2018 was a year of mixed reviews. Many things went well, like the Sunshine Girls moved up in world ranking to third place according to the IAAF. But so many things didn't go well - Jamaica fell five spots from number 70 to the 75th best place to do business. So, we struggle with the dichotomy of who we are, against the evidence of what we see. This contradiction between who we are and what we do is a stark reminder of a fight that began well before we were born. This struggle is fundamentally about our identity.

TIME TO REFOCUS

The great thing about starting a new year is that we have the opportunity to pause and gain perspective. The new year also gives us hope and creates in us a sense of anticipation that the upcoming year will offer better opportunities for us. In fact, if truth be told, most of us are hoping and praying that we won't have to struggle with the issues that we had last year.

But what does our struggle have to do with identity and vice versa? You see, we need to recognise that whether we know it or not, each of us ascribe to an identity; and that identity drives us. Depending on the identity you have, you could be choosing success or failure, a life of royalty or the life of a pauper, life or death. Depending of the identity the community has, it could be a place of pervasive peace or constant war.

What you believe about self or whatever identity you ascribe to, will determine what you do and how you live. So much of what we now see in our nation is cause to weep. People living far below who they are intended to be. Seeing themselves as failures and so easily accepting and succumbing to defeat. This is not who we are.

We are made for great things. In fact when we go back to the very beginning we see that man is God's crowning creation. We are made in His, God the Father's image. This is where we must find our identity. In the one who created us as creatures of great value and significance.

This is where it all begins - with God the Father.

But until we seriously choose to know Him and step into our rightful identity as beloved sons and daughters of the Most High, co-heirs with Christ our Brother and Lord, we will be living outside of our identity, our purpose, significance and truth. Until we get to know our Heavenly Father and truly know His heart we will never be able to be true image bearers.

We are God's workmanship created in Christ Jesus to do good works. This Thursday we will continue to look at the Father's heart for us and how we can walk fully in our identity.

- Pastor Joan Fletcher is the lead pastor at Transformed Life Church