We talk a lot about identity today. We’re told to “find ourselves,” define ourselves, and express ourselves. But for all the noise, most of us still feel unmoored, like a ship trying to anchor to its own deck. Labels promise stability (“I’m a mom,” “I’m a leader,” “I’m the funny one,” or, in darker moments, “I’m a burden”), yet they rarely hold when the storms come.

Scripture offers a better way. The Bible doesn’t deny the power of identity; it shows us where true identity comes from and how it sets us free.

The Name Above Every Name

Before we can understand who we are, we need to know who God is. In Exodus 3, Moses asks God for His name. God answers: “I AM.” Not another label that fits neatly alongside the gods of Egypt. Not a box we can manage. He is the self-existent One, the untamable Lord who refuses to be reduced.

That matters for our identity. If God alone has the right to name Himself, then God alone has the right to name us. Much of our confusion comes from trying to seize a privilege that isn’t ours, declaring our own ultimate name, or letting culture do it for us. Freedom begins when we surrender naming rights back to God.

When God Renames a Life

Scripture is full of people whose names are literally and spiritually changed by God.

Jacob → Israel (Genesis 32:22–30)
Jacob, whose name means “grasping/deceiver,” spent his life hustling, wrestling blessings from his father, his brother, and his uncle. One night, he wrestled with God. He left limping, yes, but also renamed: Israel, “the one who struggles with God and prevails.” In other words, stop grasping from people; come wrestle with Me. The man who once schemed became the patriarch of a people. God’s name over him released him from old patterns and set a nation’s story in motion.

Simon → Peter (Matthew 16:13–19)
Simon was bold, brash, first to speak…and first to fold. Yet Jesus saw a rock in him and called it out: “You are Peter.” Simon promptly proved how not rock-solid he was by denying Jesus to a servant girl. But after the resurrection, restored by Christ, he became what Jesus had spoken over him, not by force of will, but by grace. God’s naming is promise and process. He speaks the truer name, and then He makes it real for us.

Put Off / Put On: Trading Death for Life

Paul describes identity change in the language of clothing: take off what belongs to the old self; put on what belongs to Christ (Colossians 3:5, 12–14). What we “take off” isn’t just bad habits, it’s death. What we “put on” isn’t mere manners, it’s Jesus’ character: compassion, kindness, humility, patience, forgiveness, and love.

This is where the mask of expressive individualism slips. Our culture says, “Your deepest desires define you.” Paul says, “No, many desires need to be put to death.” Our labels shouldn’t be tethered to our cravings; they should be tethered to Christ.

Shame vs. Guilt, and Why Both Matter

Part of what keeps us glued to false labels is shame. Guilt says, I did something wrong. Shame says, I am something wrong. Guilt can lead to repentance. Shame leads to hiding.

You can hear shame’s soundtrack in the head: I am dirty. I am stupid. I am not enough. I am a burden. Often, social media amplifies it: endless comparisons that whisper, “Everyone else is more… you are less.”

Shame isn’t new. In Genesis 2:25, Adam and Eve are naked and unashamed. One chapter later, they’re hiding, covering themselves, and dodging God’s voice. Shame alienates us from God and one another and turns us inward. We think we’re being humble because we’re hard on ourselves; in reality, shame makes us self-absorbed, orbiting our failures instead of God’s mercy.

Jesus Carried Your Shame

Many of us have heard that Jesus removes our guilt. Amen. But the cross addresses shame too.

Trace the final day of Jesus’ life with shame in view:

• He takes the servant’s basin and washes feet, the lowliest, most embarrassing job.
• His friends fall asleep instead of watching with Him.
• He is arrested at night, tried illegally, mocked, stripped, beaten, and paraded publicly.
• The crowd chooses Barabbas. He is crucified between criminals, numbered with the guilty.

Layer upon layer, Jesus experiences the full weight of human shame, and then breaks its power. Because He bore our shame, we don’t have to. He draws near to the parts of us that make us flinch. Where shame says hide, Jesus says come.

A Practical Exercise: Laying Shame at the Cross

If you want to make this real, not just theological, try this prayer exercise sometime soon.

1. Name it. With Jesus, list the specific moments and messages of shame in your story. Be concrete. (Many of us can fill pages.)
2. Cut it up. Physically tear the list into strips, each item its own piece.
3. Lay it down. Imagine yourself at the foot of the cross. Place each strip there.
4. Cover it. Picture Christ’s blood touching that shame. Pray something like: Jesus, Your blood speaks a better word. Where shame says, “I am dirty,” Your blood says, “I am pure.” Where shame says, “I am a burden,” Your blood says, “I am beloved.”
5. Let it burn (or dissolve). If it helps, safely burn those strips or submerge them in water. Don’t fish them back out. They’re covered.

This isn’t superstition; it’s embodied repentance and faith, renouncing lies and receiving what Jesus purchased for you.

You Are an Image Bearer

Identity isn’t just what you’re forgiven from, it’s what you’re created for. Genesis 1:26–27 says we were made in God’s image. There’s nothing else in creation that bears that privilege.

Imagine a priceless painting on your wall. If someone walked in and sneered, “That’s ugly,” you’d shrug. Their opinion doesn’t change the value. When we live from God’s naming –image bearer, beloved, chosen – the insults and labels lose their power. This isn’t arrogance; it’s agreement. We aren’t inflating ourselves, we’re believing God.

Replacing the Lies

Maybe you, like many of us, have an allergy to the “positive self-talk” movement. Here’s the difference: we aren’t asking you to conjure compliments; we’re inviting you to replace lies with Scripture-anchored truth. It is not proud to speak God’s Word over your life. It’s actually prideful to cling to something less true than what He says.

Here are some truths to rehearse when shame starts talking:

• I am wonderfully made. (Psalm 139:14)
• I am adopted by the Father. (Ephesians 1:5)
• I am beloved. (Colossians 3:12)
• I am pure in Christ. (1 Corinthians 6:11)
• I am forgiven. (Ephesians 1:7)
• I am God’s friend. (John 15:15)
• I am His workmanship, His masterpiece. (Ephesians 2:10)
• I am a saint. (Romans 1:7)
• I am treasured. (Deuteronomy 7:6; 1 Peter 2:9)
• We are the light of the world. (Matthew 5:14)

Put them where you’ll see them. Pray for them. Speak them over your kids. Let them become the new “ruts” in your prayer life, varied names for a big God, and varied names from a big God spoken over you.

Don’t Skip Repentance

One more step we often miss: repentance. When the Spirit shows us where we’ve agreed with lies and insisted on our label over God’s, He’s inviting us into freedom. Confess it. Receive forgiveness. Then “go and sin no more.” Repentance isn’t a scolding; it’s a door. Walk through it into the newness of life.

Reflection for Your Week

• What labels have you worn, proudly or painfully, that God is asking you to lay down?
• Where do you feel shame most acutely? What truth of Jesus meets you there?
• Which Scripture-truth from the list will you begin speaking over yourself today?

This is Part 1 of “Lose the Labels.” Today, we named the problem (self-constructed identities and the poison of shame) and the foundation (God alone names Himself, and us). We watched Him rename Jacob and Simon; we watched Jesus carry our shame; we practiced laying it down.

In Part 2, we’ll explore living as image bearers and how this identity informs our purpose, relationships, and daily choices. For now, take a deep breath. The God who says, “I AM,” also says over you: “You are Mine.”

🎧 Listen to the full episode of Living the Reclaimed Life with John and Angel Beeson. 📗 Keep growing with John and Angel with their book Trading Faces on Amazon.