Today I’d like everyone reading this to try a little exercise with me.

I’d like you to make a list of things you can be proud of. Things that you’ve done well, things that you’ve made a real difference to someone with, or things that you’ve done the way you should have. Things that were hard, that were difficult to figure out, or took a lot of willpower, or maybe just a huge amount of sheer sweat and tears. Things you have a right to be proud of.

Can’t think of anything? What about ways that you are that you are proud of? Things about you that are right, whether your temperament or your beliefs or your relationships. Are you proud of your nationality, or perhaps your ethnicity? Do you adhere to or attach yourself to a particular culture you are proud of? What about a political party or position? What about your criminal record? Are you proud of how you’ve adhered to the law?

Of course, no one can list things for each of these ideas. Some of us have broken the law, or don’t have a culture or nation or denomination that we’re proud of. Some of us have yet to really accomplish something we feel we can be proud of. All the same, no matter how short our life, we all have had a chance to accomplish something or attach ourselves to something we feel proud of. Write your list. Go on, this entry will still be here when you get back.

OK, you’re done? Good; here, I’ll share some of mine with you, generally. I pride myself on my thoughts. I spend a lot of time thinking and value the product of that time and effort. I am proud of my denomination. I’m proud of my academic achievements, which aren’t insignificant. I’m proud of some of my accomplishments in the last few years in student leadership, where I feel I made a real difference that will last for years.

Paul had a list, too, and most of us can’t compete with it at all. The way Paul puts it, “If anyone else has a mind to put confidence in the flesh, I far more: circumcised the eighth day, of the nation of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the Law, a Pharisee; as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to the righteousness which is in the Law, found blameless.” (Phil. 3:4-6 NASB) Paul, you see, had undergone the right religious rituals, was from the right nation, the right ethnicity, loyal to his culture, belonged to the right denomination, so loyal to God that he killed people and adhered to the Law. It’s a rare person who can get even close to equalling that list! If anyone has things to be proud of, Paul does!

But, you know what? In the next verse, Paul says that he counts everything on his list to be “loss for the sake of Christ. More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ.”(Phil. 3:7-8 NASB) Compared to having a relationship with Christ, all those things Paul has to be proud of, confident of– in short, his accomplishments which he could base his identity on– were more than loss. Paul calls them “rubbish,” according to the NASB and NIV; the KJV and Message are somewhat closer to the Greek when they render the word “dung” and “dog dung,” respectively. The original Greek word is skubalon, for those who might want to look it up. I’m not going to presume on Carter’s indulgence and put the word I think skubalon is best translated as here, but I think that most of my readers can figure that the word I think best fits what Paul means here is on the short side and starts with the same letter as skubalon.

Now, I’d like you to take a minute to write that across your list (if you don’t know what the word is, you can write “dung” or “skubalon.”) in big letters. That’s right, across all the things that are right about you, that you can be proud of, confidant in, that you can base your identity on. Because that’s what it is, compared to knowing Christ, compared to being in a relationship with Him, being saved by Him, and all that that means. (Paul says it better than me. Read Philippians 3.)

What does all this mean? It means that we should stop basing our identities on what we have done, on what we have gotten right, because they don’t mean a whole lot. Not only are they fading and imperfect, not only are they subject to re-evaluation and destruction, but even the best of them really aren’t worth a lot compared to having a personal relationship with the Allmighty Creator of the Universe, with God, nor do they compare with the fact that this Allmighty Creator took the time and made the sacrifice to die for me. Compared to that, compared to how much God loves me and what He has done for me and will do for me, my denominational affiliation starts to pale a little; my nationality starts to look a bit less important; my academic achievements seem downright insignificant! Compared to the fact that God loves me and found me important and valuable enough to die for, what I’ve done and what I believe becomes irrelevant, and who I’m affiliated with ceases to matter as long as I’m affiliated with God.

So take a minute and let that sink in. What you base your identity on, if it isn’t God and His love for you, isn’t important and it is wrong to base your identity on it. Not only that, but, compared to the ironclad love of God, anything you might accomplish is weak and frail and will pass away. Eventually, your accomplishments will be forgotten and the change you’ve worked for or the institutions you’ve founded will cease to be seen or felt by people, but the fact that God loves you will always remain, and you will always have a relationship with Him.

I have a Maker, He formed my Heart

Before even time began, my life was in His hand

I have a Father, He calls me His own

He'll never leave me, no matter where I go

He knows my name, He knows my every thought

He sees each tear that falls, and hears me when I call

And that's what's most important about you.