Surprising Life Lessons on Identity From Pippi Longstocking

“Last night I made up a story. You know what? I believed every word of it.” 

—Pippi Longstocking

“You didn’t rewatch Pippi Longstocking.” Nothing like getting busted by the Lord.

In 2021, this freckle-faced, ultra-strong, red-haired, and pig-tailed child was the basis for a blog exploring how our childhood preferences and characteristics were a sneak peek into the future works the Lord had in store for us. I intended to rewatch it, but I forgot.  Then the Lord nudged me.

Once. 

Twice.

 Three times.

I finally surrendered. I rented the Prime video….and immediately wondered,  “Am I being punked by heaven?” I was fascinated by Pippi the first time I saw this movie as a child. Now…?

The whole movie felt like watching a random girl livestream her day. No plot. No arc. No direction. Just chaos with cute pigtails.

I found myself thinking, Lord… this is pointless. But He wasn’t finished.

Because somewhere in the middle of this “pointless” story, He began to reveal a much deeper one—mine. And possibly yours.

A picture started forming:

We have forgotten who we are. 

And we’re walking through life like Pippi—making up stories about ourselves, and believing every word of them.

As I watched the adults in Pippi’s world, I noticed something unsettling. Their reactions, expectations, and judgments looked an awful lot like ours today.

The World Teaches Us Identity Through These Lenses:

* Appearance

*Wealth and resources

*Social status

*Peer approval

*Self-image and independence

*Distractions disguised as opportunities

*“Live on your own terms” culture*

*A vague hope that being “good” means you’ll end up in a “good place.”

These are the modern societal pillars of identity. 

But they are built on shifting sand.

Because the world defines you by what can be measured, compared, applauded, or envied. The world defines us by conformity to expected norms, and expected norms can change.

Yet God doesn’t play by those rules. God’s standards never change.

“The Lord does not see as man sees… Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.” —1 Samuel 16:7

Where the world labels you, Christ identifies you.

Where the world demands credentials, Christ gives inheritance.

Where the world sees performance, Christ sees purpose and provides identity.

The world asks: “What do you bring to the table?” 

Christ says: “I am your table. Sit and eat.”

If you stripped away every role, title, and achievement, what would be left? I know what happened to me.

I felt lost, dazed, and confused when full-body pain crashed unexpectedly into my life and I had to close my law practice and walk away from my legal career. I never realized how much of my identity was wrapped up in what I did until it was stripped away.

What about you? Do you panic at that thought—because we do build identities on:

*Careers

*Marriages

*Parenting

*Gifts

*Talents

*Accomplishments

But those aren’t who you are.

They are simply assignments or accomplishments. 

Christ has already named you and marked you—and what He says cannot be undone.

In Him, you are:

*A sheep tended and loved

*A disciple formed

*A spiritual house built

*Redeemed

*Whole

*Healed

*An ambassador

*A representative

*A masterpiece

*A holy priesthood

*A servant

*A friend of God

*A fruit-bearer

*An heir

*A son or daughter

*Adopted

*Grafted in

You don’t become these things. 

You are these things the moment you belong to Him.

Here’s the truth we rarely admit:

Most believers start their Christian life exactly like Pippi— winging it.

We drag into faith:

*old thought patterns

*cultural assumptions

*coping mechanisms

*insecurities

*self-doubt

*negative internal stories

We don’t know how to “walk in newness of life,” so we walk in leftovers from our old one, “fixing” stuff along the way.

And because of that, life feels random— a series of disconnected events rather than a divine storyline.

But Jesus didn’t call us to survive life. He called us to an abundant life.

He called us:

*Overcomers

*More-than-conquerors

*Co-laborers

*Fruit-bearers

*Kingdom carriers

*And He meant it.

We just stopped believing Him.

Something supernatural happens the moment you surrender to Christ:

You are sealed. 

Marked. 

Claimed. 

Given authority.

But—there is a gap. A gap between recognizing that identity, receiving that identity, and learning to live from it.

A gap between:

*reading the Word

*believing the Word

*walking the Word

That gap is where the enemy whispers the oldest question in Scripture:

“Did God really say…?”

It’s the first crack in identity. 

And the moment we hesitate, we start living beneath what Christ already declared.

This is why the Bible uses the image of a signet ring—a symbol of:

*identityauthority

*ownership

*protection

*permanence

“The king sealed it with his signet ring so that nothing concerning Daniel could be changed.” —Daniel 6:17

“I will make you like My signet ring, for I have chosen you,” declares the Lord of Hosts. —Haggai 2:23

Did you catch it?

Nothing concerning you can be changed.

Not by fear. 

Not by failure. 

Not by your past. 

Not by your feelings. 

Not by your mistakes. 

Not by people’s opinions.

Once God seals something, it’s settled.

And yet… we forget.

We say:

*“I’m not good enough.

*“I mess up too much.”

*“I can’t be who God says I am.”

But God says:

*“Chosen.”

*“Set apart.”

*“Sealed.”*“Mine.”

Your identity is not fragile. 

It is not up for renegotiation. 

It is not dependent on performance.

And it is not determined by your history.

You carry the authority, power, and presence of the living God. 

You are destined to do greater things because Christ said you would.

You have simply forgotten who you are.

Maybe it’s time to start asking:

What story have I been telling myself—and believing?

And more importantly: 

What story has God already spoken over me that I’ve forgotten?

Let this be your reminder:

You are known. 

You are loved.

You are chosen. 

You are sealed. 

You are His. 

And nothing concerning you can be changed.

Not even by you.