Who am I?

Jesus came to announce to us that an identity based on success, popularity and power is a false identity- an illusion! Loudly and clearly he says: 'You are not what the world makes you, but you are children of God. Henri Nouwen

I think that we’ve all asked the question: “Who am I?” We may not have verbalised or thought these exact words, but in our journey to understand who we are, we may have gone down roads that we hoped would answer this question. 

We may have built a successful career for ourselves and think that what we do and what we have achieved defines who we are. We may have tried to find who we are by following “influencers” we think hold the keys to unlocking our identity. Perhaps we’ve tried to imitate people we admire. We think that becoming like them will help us become someone we think we ought to be. We may even think that our identity lies in the labels we or others place on us. Or that the negative words that others have spoken over our lives define who we are.

Our pursuit of finding who we are is, in reality, the very thing that prevents us from knowing who we truly are. The very thing that steals our true identity. The very thing that draws us away from being the authentic person that God has created us to be. To know the authentic person that God has created us to be,  we should perhaps ask a different question. Instead of asking, “Who am I?” perhaps we should be asking, “Whose am I?” Do we belong to this world where we are tossed to and fro by opinions that resonate with popular culture? Where attitudes and ideologies are fickle- here today, gone tomorrow? Or do we find our identity in the firm foundation that is Jesus Christ?

James Drain had a successful career as a chemist. He had achieved things he could only have dreamed of growing up in a highly dysfunctional family. He felt validated in who he was as a scientist. His identity was wrapped up in his intellect, his gifted mind. This identity is what brought him happiness and joy in life. This is what he later said was enough for him.

When he was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, a degenerative disease for which there is no cure, his life as he knew it started unravelling. His identity completely changed. He was no longer the successful scientist that had previously defined him. He now saw himself as a failure. As the disease continued to worsen, he became blind and eventually wheelchair-bound. This led to him isolating himself, causing him to spiral into a deep depression that led to suicidal thoughts.

Things start to change for him when a friend invites him to church. When he commits his life to the Lord, he has a sense of freedom he had never experienced before. He realises that a lot of the things he had been so proud of were keeping him from knowing Jesus. As he grows in his faith and trust in Jesus, he goes through a process of emotional and spiritual healing. The next logical step, he felt, was to be baptised. When he gets baptised in August 2023, an amazing thing happens. As he is immersed in the water, he experiences something supernatural. When he emerges, he realises that he can see. The recovery of his sight is the beginning of his complete healing from multiple sclerosis.

Today, James serves in his church and in his community. His service to the community is what brings him joy. More joy and satisfaction than his achievements as a scientist. James had found his true identity in Christ Jesus. He found his purpose in life. This brought him the greatest satisfaction.

James became a child of the living God. Only then could he truly understand who he is because he now knows whose he is. When we know whose we are, we know that we have been bought with a price – the precious blood of Jesus Christ, and we belong to Him. And because we belong to Him, we may have this assurance that we are:

 

His masterpiece                      Ephesians 2:10

The righteousness of God   2 Corinthians 5:21

God’s beloved                         Colossians 3:12

His delight                               Zephaniah 3:17

Forgiven                                   1 John 1:9

Heirs of God’s glory             Romans 8:17

Fully known                            Psalm 139:1-2

Fully loved                               1 John 4:10

Not condemned                     Romans 8:1

Redeemed                                2 Corinthians 1:30

Treasured                                 1 Peter 2:9

Set free from shame             Romans 10:11

Victorious                                 1 Corinthians 15:57

Set free in Christ                   John 8:36

Sealed with His Holy Spirit   Ephesians 1:13

 

These are the truths that define us as followers of Jesus Christ. These are the truths that draw us away from who we think we are and the labels and the lies that the world places on us. When we define ourselves by these truths, we can say, “My soul is satisfied in Him, Jesus Christ alone.”

True identity is found in being loved by God, viewing other labels as illusions (Henri Nouwen).

 Reflection

Take time to think about the things that you have achieved in life. Are you being defined by your achievements? Do they give you the greatest satisfaction, or are you satisfied in knowing that you are a child of the living God?

Have you allowed the labels that you or others have placed on you to define you? Think about how you can allow God to define you.

Prayer

Heavenly Father, I thank you that you have created me with purpose. Show me how to shake off the negative labels that I have placed on myself, or that others have placed on me. Heal me, Lord, from the things I have believed about myself that are lies from the enemy. Lies that have led me down a dark path. Forgive me, Father, if I have allowed my achievements to define me. Help me always to have that assurance that I am Your child. Reveal to me who I truly am in Christ Jesus so that I may know my true identity. So that I may know my purpose for which you have created me. So that my soul will be satisfied in You alone. In Jesus’ name, amen.