The idea of “finding ourselves” is a popular pursuit. According to Google, there are many paths to self-discovery. From going on an self-seeking adventure to taking a quick quiz, we might be surprised what our exploration will reveal.

But from a biblical perspective, there’s only one way to find ourselves. We must lose ourselves. It’s not a popular pursuit.

“If you don’t go all the way with me, through thick and thin, you don’t deserve me. If your first concern is to look after yourself, you’ll never find yourself. But if you forget about yourself and look to me, you’ll find both yourself and me.” – Matthew 10:39 MSG

Christ does not mince words here. He cuts to the core of my first concern — me. What is your first concern?  It may have popped in your mind by the time you got to the end of this sentence.

In my less selfish moments, other concerns rise to the top of my list. Whatever occupies the sacred slot of first, it stays on the forefront of my mind. It sets the gauge of my temperament. My sense of value rises and falls on its success. Some of my first have been:

Being a loving wife and mother.

Caring for someone in need.

Meeting writing deadlines.

These are all noble goals, but none of them make a good god.

To go all the way with Christ, my first concern must be faithfulness to Christ. Thankfully, faithfulness does not mean perfection. It means authentic consistency — the kind that forms in the heart of anyone who goes with Him, “through thick and thin.”

When life is going well, that would be thick. When it is not, that would be thin. We may want to pick when we go all the way with Him, but Jesus wants it all.

I can sense His love pulsing through each word of Matthew 10:39.  He knows where we yield is where we get our identity.  He knows who we yield to determines our ability to thrive.

We may “find ourselves” content or restless, successful or failing. But until we “find ourselves” in Christ, we’ll never find ourselves at all.

According to Webster, Yield means to relinquish one's possession of (as a position of advantage or point of superiority); to give way to pressure or influence; to give place or precedence.

When I give way to the pressures of life, I lose myself to the stresses of this life. But if I look to Jesus, through thick and thin, I see who He is and who I am in Him. It’s an empowering and essential exchange, if I ever hope to FLY.  And as we find ourselves in Him, we find hope for the heart and joy to the soul.

Click here for more information on this series and the “It’s Time to FLY” gallery!