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Note: The following is a personal page, written independently, and may not fully match the views of EveryStudent.com.
We named our first child Nadja. My wife’s pregnancy went fine, but two hours after our daughter was born the doctor told us she had Downs Syndrome. In that moment, I was shocked. I cried, anticipating a difficult life for Nadja. But then I thought about her name. Nadja means “hope.” I told the doctor that I believed, like her name, there was hope for Nadja.
In my youth I always defined myself by how well I performed; on exams, in classes, as a freelance journalist. If I was successful, I was valuable. If I failed, I only worked harder to regain value. Nadja taught me that I was finding my identity in all the wrong places.
Our identity is found in God. We have security and worth because God loves us. It is obvious in Nadja: her handicap prevents her from succeeding at many things. She will not be able to attend a top university, have the best job, or be the best in athletics. Nadja is not identified by her performance—her successes or failures. She knows she is valued because she is loved by God. It is freeing to know my identity is found in God and is not determined by my performance.
“Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes.” Ephesians 1:4 (NLT)
Urs Wolf, Master's Degree in Chemistry (ETH Zurich, Switzerland), Lecturer on Learning Skills and Study Techniques.
www.everystudent.com/mypage/urs
www.LookingforGod.com
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