I’m always eager to have the opportunity to get to know more about an author before I open up their book. Today, I’m excited to catch up with my friend Lindsey Carlson and hear more about her new devotional for teens, Identity: Discovering Who You Are in Christ. With so many competing messages out in the world, teens need biblical wisdom to ground them and help them root their identity in Christ.
Lindsey’s 31-day devotional is filled with lessons that point teens toward the unshakable foundation they can find in God and his Word, so they can live with Christ-centered confidence. I’m already planning on giving this devotional as a stocking stuffer for my daughter! Identity releases on October 23, 2024, and you can pre-order a copy here!
1. Can you give us a quick update on you and your family? What has this season of life been like for you?
Our family recently moved to Waco, Texas for my husband to take on a new pastoral position. Sliding into a new church family is always a blend of exciting and intimidating as we meet so many new faces and work to learn all the new stories. If I’m honest, we are coming off of a long, exhausting season of ministry. We are tired and weary. And yet, our hope is fixed like never-before on the all-sustaining power of Jesus to refresh and restore.
The Spirit has refreshed me through a variety of ways. I love attending our church’s weekly Bible study for women. This semester we are working through Jen Wilkin’s Revelation study and I’ve so enjoyed participating and not leading! My husband and I recently began shepherding one of our church’s small groups and it has been such a gift to gather together weekly to eat a meal, sing, discuss the sermon, and pray for one another. And finally, I am refueled by hearing the stories of faith from women I meet while traveling for speaking engagements. I do not suspect that I will ever grow weary of teaching the Bible to women or seeing them embrace the good news of the gospel.
Our daughter is enjoying her sophomore year in college. Our oldest boy is taking a gap year after graduating high school a year early and exploring a career as an electrician. His tenacity, perseverance, and faith has been a sweet blessing to behold. Our three younger boys are settling nicely into their new schools. We’ve enjoyed attending flag-football games and spelling-bees and cheering on new endeavors like playing the trumpet and learning to weld. And I’m happy to report that our three-year-old pug has finally accepted that the new boston terrier puppy is here to stay.
2. What inspired you to write Identity?
I am in a season of parenting four teenagers. Matters of identity are laced in and throughout most of our conversations, whether or not we use the word “identity.” My own children and all of their friends are just trying to make sense of who they are and why their lives matter. They are attempting to grapple with who to listen to and believe. When I heard P&R Publishing and Rooted were teaming up to bring short devotionals to teenagers, I knew I wanted to write on the subject of identity. I want to assure teenagers who are in the formative stages of life and faith, that Jesus has given us the words of life to know who we are, in him.
3. What do you hope teens will take away from this book? 
I pray they walk away with greater hope and dependence on the gospel of Jesus Christ and in turn, soul rest. The by-product of this would be far less anxiety and angst about who they are and how they measure up. I hope to help teens recognize some of the common lies they’re being fed by today’s culture and to exhort them to instead walk in the freedom of who they are in Jesus.
4. Why is identity such an essential concept for young people to consider?
The teenage years are formative years. Every decision feels weighty. Every rejection feels personal. It often feels like everyone is watching and waiting for them to slip up or fail. There’s a natural hesitance to admit they need help or to ask parents and authority figures for input. And yet, they’re also desperate for words of advice and encouragement.
Young people aren’t meant to make sense of who they are or who they are becoming on their own. God provides his word and his people in order to teach and train them as they grow in godliness. Teenagers need outside help from their parents and other trustworthy adults who are willing to gently help them consider the way they should go as they come face-to-face with trials, disappointments, and unmet longings.
Teens need to be consistently pointed toward truth and goodness: God made you. God loves you. He is with you. He will never leave you. He understands your weakness and provides all you need through the gospel of Jesus and the power of the Holy Spirit.
5. What’s the most challenging or fun part of writing for a teen audience?
The most challenging part of writing to teenagers is trying to be relatable and in-touch without being cringey and embarrassing myself or my own teenagers. You can ask them in a few months if I did so effectively. The most fun part is hearing that my kids’ friends are reading and benefiting from my writing.
6. Can you share a few of your favorite quotes from the book?
“The Christian’s sense of fulfillment isn’t meant to be found in a highlight reel but in God, who directs every blessing. Trendy clothes, exotic vacations, and popularity pale in comparison to the satisfaction we’re meant to find in God’s measureless grace. God isn’t withholding his goodness when you lack a new smartphone or when you’re left out of someone’s trip. He knows the desires of your heart. But rather than giving you the latest and greatest gadget, he showers you with riches that are truly lasting and precious. Wisdom. Humility. Gentleness. A greater understanding of his character. Grace upon grace. God knows how to provide what you actually need, in order that you might come to value the riches of his mercy.”
“Forget what you look like or how you dress. Forget how your school friends might describe you. Forget the sports you’re good at or all the volunteer hours you’ve racked up for your college applications. And while you’re at it, forget all of your mistakes too.
“You are loved by God because Christ’s faithfulness to God is credited to you. Jesus’s perfect track record takes the place of your imperfect one.This means your faith in Jesus frees you from constantly laboring to prove your faithfulness to God. You have the incomprehensible and unwavering support of the Lord, by faith, for faith.”
7. Here are some endorsements:
“A must-read for all teens who want to embrace who God says they are.” Eliza Huie, Author, Teens and Anxiety
“Provides rich spiritual truths in a practical way” Sarah Walton, Author, The Long Road Home
“With wisdom and compassion, Carlson reassures her readers that the security and belovedness we find in Christ far surpasses anything we can find elsewhere.” Anna Meade Harris, Author, God’s Grace for Every Family
8. What is something surprising that people might not know about you?
People might be surprised to know that I made it through the first fifteen years of parenting without drinking coffee. And even though I didn’t develop an appreciation for it until about five years ago, today I prefer to drink it black!
Lindsey Carlson is a pastor’s wife, a mother of five, an author and a Bible teacher. She and her family live in Waco, Texas. Lindsey is the author of Growing in Godliness: A Teen Girl’s Guide to Maturing in Christ (Crossway Publishing, 2019) and A Better Encouragement: Trading Self-Help for True Hope (Crossway Publishing, 2022). For more information or to book for speaking engagements visit www.lindseycarlson.net.
