Jesus came to announce to us that an identity based on success, popularity, and power is a false identity

September 21, 2026

Jesus came to announce to us that an identity based on success, popularity, and power is a false identity—an illusion!

Jesus came to announce to us that an identity based on success,

popularity, and power is a false identity—an illusion!

~Henri Nouwen

For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ.

~Galatians 1:10

I saw this quote yesterday in the readings of the Our Daily Bread Ministry. It really resonated with me. As I get older and now retired I reflect on all from the past and even still today, I see so many, even some from high school, who still have never learned this lesson, they identify with success, popularity, and power as what makes them. But it is true, it is a false illusion for sure. The same people from high school that were popular and thought they were better, some still act that way today, 50 years later, it surprises me for sure. I worked as an educator for almost 40 years, the last 28.5 as a university professor teaching math education preparing teachers how to teach me to children. I loved it. But the last many years I saw the same thing, some strive to be successful, popular, and have all the power. It leads to envy, jealousy, and many insecurities, I have noticed. Not really healthy for any of us. I agree, God gave us Jesus as our example to follow, we need to identify with Him in all humility, not things of this world or success, popularity, and power, but rather, following Jesus, reflecting, imitating, forgiving, and loving like Him! That is what matters and what we as humans should identify with, Jesus, not success, popularity, and power! This is not what is important to God. We should not identify with success, popularity, and power. Instead with humility, faith, and love, being more like Jesus. Loving all, not hating, cancelling, ignoring, or acting like you are better. When I was in high school we used to use the term "stuck up" about people like this, today we still see a lot of stuck up's, who are concerned more with success, popularity, and power, they are godless and just do not know Jesus! They live a life of illusion, a false illusion, it makes them look bad too. It is best to follow the one true identity, that being Jesus Christ, living like Him, loving like Him!