Do You Know Who You Are Without the Applause?

I’ve held a lot of titles in my life—Pastor, Coach, Manager, Husband, Father, Elder. Some came with collars, others with conference calls or whistles and gym floors. I’ve worn suits for some and sweat for others. But there came a moment when I had to sit with a deeper question: Who am I without any of them?

It’s an unsettling place when titles fade or shift. Maybe it’s retirement. Maybe it’s divorce. Maybe it’s being laid off. Or maybe—like me—you just found yourself in a quiet moment after the noise, wondering if the real “you” got buried beneath all the roles you had to play.

Let me be real with you: I wrestled with that question during my own season of loss and change. There was pain in realizing that some of the ways people valued me were tied more to what I did than who I was. But in that quiet, God spoke something clearer than any job description: “You are Mine.”

That’s the identity that holds when everything else shifts.

Titles are temporary. But sonship? That’s eternal.

Ephesians 2:10 tells us “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” Not just pastors. Not just leaders. All of us. That means before the title, before the degrees or the accolades, God already saw worth in you. He made you with intention.

When I think about Jesus and His own journey—He was called Rabbi, Lord, Healer, even Friend. But His identity wasn’t rooted in what people called Him. It was rooted in who He was to the Father. “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” (Matthew 3:17)

That same identity belongs to you and me when we are in Christ.

So let me ask you what I had to ask myself:
If the titles were stripped away—who would still show up?

Would you still believe you had value?
Would you still carry peace?
Would you still walk with purpose?

I had to come to a place where the answer was “yes”—but not because of my résumé. Because of my Redeemer.

And here’s the truth I’m still learning:
You don’t have to earn being a child of God.
You just have to accept it.

There’s freedom in knowing that being a man of God, a woman of faith, doesn’t depend on your performance. It depends on your position—in Christ. That kind of identity can’t be revoked, and it doesn’t need a title to prove its worth.

So today, whether you’re in a high seat or a hidden season, remember this:
You are already known.
Already loved.
Already called—not just to a role, but to a relationship.

That’s the title no one can take.

Pastor Harold

Pastor Harold