Everyone from Aristotle to the band “the who” has asked “Who am I?” and yet we still struggle with the answer. How we identify ourselves enters ever part of our lives from relationships with friends and parents, to job and school decision to what we buy and who we spend time with. Think of how much hurt has come from the inability to answer this question. How many people have cut themselves? How many eating disorders? How many broken relationships? How many addictions? It is the question of our lives “who am I”.
Let’s spend some time asking the hard questions this week. Let’s look at why we buy the clothes we buy, or why we eat like we eat. Let’s ask “Why am I constantly comparing myself to another?” “Why do I want to be _______”. Why can’t I be comfortable with who I am? Why can’t I except my path, my history, my story?
When we are always comparing ourselves to others it seems to rank us on some invisible value chart made by men to judge each other. We all place ourselves somewhere on the chart and others above and below us.
All my life I have lived in constant conflict with this value chart. It’s so hard to escape the comparisons/judgement, everywhere I go I see it. It comes in the form of car commercials and TV ads. It comes up in films and music. What I have and what I don’t have. Nearly everyone I meet for the first time will ask me “What do you do?” Or “What college did you go to?” “What degree do you have?”. Depending on my answer, most will move me up or down on the value chart, and place my value/worth.
I do it to myself sometimes when I drive through the “good” neighborhoods dreaming of what it would be like to live there, in that house, with those neighbors. No renters next door to that place, no police helicopter (or ghetto bird as a friend calls it) shining his shame light down in their yard. The truth is I never feel better for driving through those neighborhoods, only worse about my situation or my ranking on that invisible value chart.
Why do we compare ourselves to others? Why are we letting other people write our script or dictate our plans? Why do we put so much power in the hands of others when The One who created us has already planned it all. We have two voices speaking to us: one is being spoken by The Creator and one by the creation, who do you want to listen to? Who will you chose to listen to?
One is a path of endless work, of trying to be someone else. A path thats never good enough, of needing more. A path where you work and wait for pats on the back for achievements, for raising your rank on that invisible value chart. The other is a path of rest, where He promises that His yoke (His way of life) is light and not burdensome.
A path where He sees His creation in how it really is Righteous and Holy. A Creator who wanted to know you, to have relationship with you before you ever took your first step on this earth. A Creator who says this path you are on is the right one. “‘For I know the plans I have for’ declares the Lord. ‘Plans to prosper you and not harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.’” Jeremiah 29:11.
Your history however hard it was, was the right one for you. Step onto the path He blazed for you. Go ahead take the lead role He wrote for you. He holds it all in the palm of His hand, will you trust Him with it? He doesn’t make mistakes. He makes beauty, will you believe Him when He says you are beautiful? Because the truth is, you are.
When we can see ourselves in this way it not only effects how we handle our own lives but how we see others. Do you understand the implications of this? If you can see yourself for how God sees you, you can begin to see others in the same way. In other words “love your neighbor as yourself” (Mark 12:31). It’s this love that will not only change us, it will change our world.
So for the question or issue of my identity, a simple glass of glenfiddich won't do the job. Instead let's... let's lean on the grace He give to us so freely...
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