Who Are You? (Part II)

The foundation of who we are should not be based on what we DO, what we HAVE, or what EXPECTATIONS are placed upon us.

EXPECTATIONS play a huge role in who we THINK we are, or better put, who we are TOLD we are SUPPOSED to be. Our answer to ’Who Are You?’ varies depending on who we are talking to. For our whole lives, we tend to give the answers based on what we think they want to hear. (i.e.: To my parents when I was living with them they got PART of the picture: I am an honor-roll student, hard worker, etc – I’d just hide some of the other shall we say not-so-pleasing details for them...) Sometimes the expectations are self-imposed (i.e.: ’I’m a pastor’s wife and I’m supposed to have it SOOOO together, why can’t I get this right??’) I have a feeling we battle with this our entire lives – we like to be accepted and feel like we ’fit’.

If we take all that out of the mix, we still need a way to define ourselves. To make our mark. To feel important and purposed. I questioned my purpose as long as I can remember, and STILL do at times. But here are some points I use to remind myself…


BE CONTENT
Money can’t buy love, or anything else that’s of true meaning, anyway. This one has been a struggle for me. I ask ’How can I be blessed when xyz is going on?’ When the mortgage is due, when my mom was about to die, when the car breaks down yet again...’ But there are things in our life we can’t put a value on... You know what they are. Remember those when you’re feeling discontented.

"You’re blessed when you’re content with just who you are—no more, no less. That’s the moment you find yourselves proud owners of everything that can’t be bought.
Matthew 5:4-6 (The Message)


EXPLORE (DON’T COMPARE)
A huge weight is lifted when we stop trying to keep up with the ’Joneses’. All those comparative ways of looking at ourselves (what we have and what we do) are instantly out of the picture – It removes a TON of frustration (FYI - I am totally preaching to myself here)

Make a careful exploration of who you are and the work you have been given, and then sink yourself into that. Don’t be impressed with yourself. Don’t compare yourself with others. Each of you must take responsibility for doing the creative best you can with your own life.
Galatians 6:3-5


BE DOWN TO EARTH
Honesty really is the best policy. I’ve heard if you lie less you have to remember less. Life would be so much easier if we weren’t trying to pigeonhole ourselves into our and other’s expectations. I’m not saying to keep it SO real that you do whatever you feel like without considering others, but we have to stop trying to live up to impossible expectations. If we are trying to impress others by fitting in their description of who we are, do we really want to be associated with people whose sole concern is outside appearance or other irrelevant factors? The only person we really have to answer to is God – and he sees the truth anyway, so why not just be open about who we truly are?

…Be down to earth with each other, for—
God has had it with the proud,
But takes delight in just plain people.
So be content with who you are, and don’t put on airs [a front].
1 Peter 5:4b-7

Of all of these points, the quote below sums it up the most for me. I really had my own little identity crisis going when I was younger until I began shifting my focus and understanding my real purpose...

’Not only do we not know God except through Jesus Christ; We do not even know ourselves except through Jesus Christ.’ - Blaise Pascal – Biography

(My all-time favorite quote is at my desk at work so I’ll have to post that one later.)

Peace,
Jen

Who Are You? (Part 1)

***We just wrapped up a great series of workshops at an annual conference called EMPOWER. The focus of the youth sessions revolved around discovering who we are, which of course, also prompts me to search myself for that answer...

Think on this for a second - How do YOU answer the question ’Who Are You?...???

When asked ’Who Are You?’, we tend to instinctively define ourselves by what we DO. We can provide a laundry list of titles and achievements that we’ve racked up for ourselves over the years. It’s also easy to catalog our favorite hobbies as a definition of who we are (i.e. – I’m a Wife, Foster Parent, Church Planter, Employee, Artist...)

We also at times automatically define ourselves by what we HAVE – material things, relationships, you name it. (i.e. – I’m a homeowner, I drive a [plug in car model here], etc.)

But to really get down to the foundation of WHO we are, it has nothing to do with what we HAVE or what we DO. Those things can change overnight, and if they do, it can shake our whole foundation...