Identity

Who are you? How many of us think we know the answer to that. We may answer with our name. Many times we want to answer with more because we feel that our name does not necessarily describe us so we resort to a title. 

We define ourselves so often by this title. I'm a youth worker. I'm a doctor. I'm a mom. I'm an African American. I'm a teen. These titles in and of themselves help describe who we are, but what happens when one title takes over?

Kessia and I talked about this tonight. We examined at how people defined themselves. There are so many we have come across that allow one aspect of their life dominate and take over. It becomes their name. Their identity. 

Sadly, many people want this because they want to be defined. They want to be in a group. The let the group, the title take over their identity. They lose them self in being a certain profession, sexual orientation, household role, race, or political view. They forget that there is an identity more important than all of these things, God's Child. 

This is the title that should define us. After this there are many titles that make us up, but none should ever come close to our role as God's Child. It is in this title that we find all the things that the other titles can not give us. We find value, grace, community, power, hope, faith, truth and most importantly love. 

If I do not know myself as God's Child then how am I to know true love with my wife? How am I to understand grace and forgiveness in the community? How am I to understand value in others? How am I to see truth in difficult situations? 

We all want to know who we are. We search this out constantly in our lives. The answer has always been there whispering in the Good News that we are loved. We are God's Children.