WHO AM I?

 

Genesis 1:26

Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground."

                 One of the universal questions of humanity is, who am I? We are the only beings on planet earth that struggle with this question. It is a question that goes far beyond our physical appearance or abilities.

                There are many ways that we seek to answer that question. When we are young, we find our answer in our family relationships. I am a Banfield, a Smith, a Johnson, etc. But as we grow, that answer doesn’t seem to do the trick. Somewhere during our adolescent days, we begin to grapple with our unique personal identity. I am not just a member of my family. I am an individual. We begin a quest to define ourselves for ourselves. We send our lives searching for the answer to our true identity.

                The first place that we look for answers is in our abilities. If we are athletic, then we seek our identity in sports. If we are artistic, we seek our identity in the arts. If we are cerebral, we seek our identity in academics. For a time, we are satisfied with what we have discovered, but it doesn’t last.

                As we mature, we realize that what we do is only a part of our identity. We desire a fully understanding of our identity. Yet many times we get stuck trying to define ourselves by our accomplishments. We pour ourselves into our jobs or our hobbies seeking reassurance of our worth and value. When we can no longer perform on the athletic field, or when we hit a wall in our chosen profession, we again struggle with our identity.

                Many people look to relationships for their identity; for their sense of purpose and meaning. They may find it for a time in friends, a spouse, or in children. This is great for a time. Then our friends fail us, our spouse disappoints us, and our children grow up and move away. We are left again to look in the mirror and ask the question, who am I?

                The people in the Bible struggled with the same questions that we struggle with. The Psalmist wrote, what is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him? (Psalm 8:4) They too were looking for an answer to the question, who am I? Many of those people settled for an answer found in their ethnic identity; I am a Jew, one of God’s chosen people. There was nothing wrong with this sense of identity, but over time it fell far short of the ultimate goal.

                When Jesus came onto the scene, He upset the ethnic identity apple cart. He challenged those who held onto their ethnic identity without grasping the true spiritual nature of their identity. Our true identity is not found in our ethnic identity but in our relationship with God. When God created humanity, He did something unique. He gave us a unique identity. He made us in His image. It is only as we embrace this reality that we can put all of the other pieces of our identity puzzle into place.

                Because we are created in the image of God, we have an intrinsic value and purpose that are independent of our circumstances, our abilities, or our ethnic background. We are valued by God. This intrinsic identity underpins and transforms everything.

                Being created in the image of God, we are relational people. God designed us to find joy and purpose in life through our relationships. So our family is an important part of our identity. But not just our biological family. Our spiritual family plays a major role in shaping our identity. As Peter tells us in 1 Peter 2:9-10, But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. We can never fully embrace our identity until we embrace our relationship with God through faith in Christ. We are not just anyone, we are a child of God.

                Being created in the image of God, we are a creative people. So what we do is also a part of our identity. God has endowed each of us with certain talents and abilities that help to define us. These abilities are not our identity, but signposts to our true identity. In their proper place, they allow us to blossom and thrive in our world.

                If we look to anything but our relationship with God in Christ for our identity, we will ultimately be disappointed. Our physical, mental, economic, and relationship assets will all fail at some point. But our relationship with God in Christ will never fail. It remains constant no matter what our circumstances my be.

                Who am I? I am a child of God, with certain talents and abilities that I can use for His glory.

Galatians 2:20

I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.