Who are you?

Identity is a real issue in our society today. One may think that it is simply a question for this generation, but I assure it is not. Who are you, is a question that all of us have dealt with, and must answer at some point in our life. It is not an easy question to answer without truth, so let’s begin our journey to uncover truth. 

Posed with this “who are you” question we generally go straight to what other people think, or say about us. If it is not the people around us, we look to our circumstances to provide the definition, “I am X because of Y”. Ultimately it is you and only you, who can answer the question of who you are. Let’s spend a little time stepping into the philosophical muck and mire surrounding the question. 

Who I am not!

To understand who I am, I first have to understand who I am not. I am not my circumstances, nor am I who other’s claim me to be. You might push back here and say that how you present yourself to others is who you are. Is it really? Do you present yourself the same to your Facebook or Instagram followers as you do to family? Or do you present yourself the same to your workplace acquaintances and friends as you do your spouse, or brother, sister? Do people see the “you” that struggles in the privacy of your home or room, do they know the conversations you have with yourself within your mind? 

I am not my failures, or my faults, I am not my occupation, nor the collection of awards and accolades. All of those things add to my reputation, which is how others seem me, but they are not who I am. What I am trying to get at here is that there is something within all of us that drives us to do what we do, believe what we believe and ultimately contribute to mankind in whatever way we decide. 

Facts

Let’s dive a little deeper. I am 57 years old, white male, some may define me as old. Some would define me as a southerner as I reside in the Southern US. You might call me fat, as I am overweight, others might call me pleasantly plump. I am a Christ follower who seeks out the lost, ministers to those whose poor decisions have driven them to the fringes of society. Some may call me a Jesus Freak, others might call me a “friend of sinners”.  All of these definitions are ok, in some cases good. They only tell part of the story. You only get the visual aspect of who I am, little of what defines my actions, or decisions. 

Isn’t this the crux of where we are today? In many ways we are either using these outward facing aspects of identity to judge and categorize people, or we are allowing people to define and categorize us based on these identity characteristics. In essence we are leaning more on what other people think to define us, rather than developing our own sense of self. 

A sense of self

The question is this? Does who we are come from our sense of self, or does it spring from our characteristics, beliefs, behaviors, relationships and interests? Are the characteristics a result of who we are? Welcome to the battleground of the mind where so many reside today.  

Truth

For a male or a female human to truly understand who they are and for what purpose they were placed here, some truth has to enter the situation. 

False Truth

If truth for you is that the human race sprang from chaos, just as our universe did during the “Big Bang”, then surely from that chaos there was a mistake. A blunder that placed you in the wrong body, the wrong gender, the wrong place, the wrong family, or even the wrong time. Then truth becomes what you choose it to be. If truth is relative to the variability of the natural process, then my truth and who I am is relative as well. The problem is in that scenario there is NO TRUTH. Truth that is relative to personal experience or situations is not truth at all. 

Let’s use a humorous example. Me, you, and we are all heading to work on a two way street on Monday. My truth is that the left side of the road is for driving east. Your truth is that the right side of the road is for driving east. We’s truth is that the middle of the two lane road is for driving east. We will all start the trip in good shape, but a couple of us will be dodging traffic or in a wreck. 

The reason for the chaos above is this; in America the rule of law states that we drive on the right side of the road, so no matter the direction, everyone knows the right of way. You may say you are talking about rules or laws, not truth. On the contrary, all rules or laws are derived from truth. If everyone does their own thing a car, chaos ensues and you wind up with a pile up. 

True Truth

If truth for you is that you were wonderfully and uniquely created as an image bearer of the Creator. Created with a purpose to reflect the Creator’s character. Relate with humanity, and be responsible for the vast resources the Creator placed in your care. You can now begin to find and understand who you are and why you are here. 

The bible says you are fearfully and wonderfully made, and you have a unique purpose here that nobody else can fulfill. God has a plan for you as you were born. Who you are matters and living in your created identity matters. 

If you are questioning who you are or why you are here today, please don’t allow others to influence your search for truth. Truth is not a relative term, if you get nothing else from this post, please hear me. Before you answer the “Who are you” question, you must have a firm grasp on what “TRUTH” is. 

Real truth will not always be what you want to hear. As a young child, how many times did we hear “don’t touch that, it will burn”? As pretty as those blue, orange, and yellow flames were, eventually you found out that mommy and daddy were telling the truth.  

I remember telling my daughter in her teenage years true friends will not just tell you what you WANT to hear. They will tell you what you NEED to hear.  Truth is “that” friend. Truth will not always align with your thoughts or desires, however in the end it will lead you in the right direction. 

Thanks for playing along, remember all of life is ministry!