I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me. Galatians 2:20 (NKJV)
We can assume a lot about a person’s future choices by looking at their past decisions. In fact, it’s vital to look at track record to determine if you can trust someone.
That being said, we have to remember that track record only speaks to someone’s behaviour. It doesn’t speak to their motives and intentions. And we definitely can’t use behaviour to define someone’s identity.
The trouble is, we do this all the time. Parents have to be especially careful about this. We say things like, “You’re a rebel, just like your uncle,” or “You’re Daddy’s (or Mommy’s) little angel.” The trouble is, we’re using behaviour to speak to that child’s identity. This boy might continue to make bad decisions because he now defines himself as rebellious. The girl will never live up to the perfect angel persona, and when she falls (which is inevitable), she’ll condemn herself ruthlessly.
We (and our kids) need to get our identity from God’s Word, not from the things we do or fail to do.
Although behaviour has a huge impact on our lives, we are defined by who we are in Christ. We have the nature of God, right standing with Him through Christ, Holy Spirit is in us, and we’re empowered and transformed from within. As 1 John 3:1-2 says, “What marvelous love the Father has extended to us! Just look at it—we’re called children of God! That’s who we really are.”