Who Am I?

I'll bet I could write a survey that would give me a pretty good picture of who you are. Let me try… Name, Age, Gender, Race, Height, Weight, Eye Color, Hair Color- that would get us started.  Next, I might ask… Single, Married, or Divorced, Number of Children or Grandchildren.  I might also want to know... Number of years of education completed, Current Job, and Yearly Income.  I would also be interested in… Place of birth, Current Hometown, Number of years at Current Address.  So, If I were asking "Who are you?" I could get a good picture.

 

So, how close would I be to truly knowing your identity?  Not very close.

 

You are so much more than a few facts and figures. You have a story to tell.  So do I…

 

I was the first of three children born to a father who was a dentist and a mother who was a physical therapist. I grew up in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.  I was from German and Scotch-Irish decent. I was always small for my age and had a last name that started with the letter "Z".  I was usually last in line.  I got good grades and played clarinet and ran track as a teenager.  I was the student conductor for the band. I went to Penn State and studied Pre-Med.  So "Who am I?"  Well, that depends.

 

There is a more personal side to me.  There was a lot of friction in my family growing up.  My parents often fought.  For me, life seemed to lack meaning and purpose.  I felt like I was meant for more but didn't know how to find it.  My freshman year in college I was lost and alone. This was a time when I started seriously looking for answers.

 

Now you might be getting a better idea of who I am.  But there is so much more I could tell.

 

Our personal identity is constructed from a myriad of circumstantial factors that shape us from the time we are born.  But profound experiences also shape us, in both positive and negative ways. And then there are the choices we make.  How we choose to respond to our experiences can make us into a victim or a victor.

 

You might need to ask about my most deeply held convictions, my priorities, and my sense of purpose.  Ask me if I am willing to die for anyone or anything. 

 

And just when you get to know me, I might be changing.  My freshman year in college, I saw dramatic changes.  My mother said, "What is happening with you? I've never seen you smile so much.  I'm glad we got you braces." My freshman English professor wanted me to come to her office to discuss the changes she was seeing in my compositions.  "Something's happening with you.  I want to understand it."

 

The way I explained it was simple, "I've begun a relationship with God."  I told my roommate, "I think I've found the answer to life."

 

For me, my identity had been transformed.  I had become a child of God.

 

There was the true Light which, coming into the world, enlightens every man. He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. He came to His own, and those who were His own did not receive Him. But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God. (Jn 1:9-13)

 

I had received Christ; I had become a new person.

 

Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come. (2 Co 5:17)

 

Modern society seems to suggest that you can define your identity in whatever way you wish.  I suppose this might be true in small ways, but not the most important things.  Some may say that even issues like gender can be adjusted by  medical procedures.  I think this is a huge mistake.  I understand that some surgeries might be necessary to correct birth defects, but not for gender dysphoria. Many things in life are predetermined by God.  Just read Psalm 139…

 

For You formed my inward parts; You wove me in my mother’s womb. I will give thanks to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Wonderful are Your works, And my soul knows it very well. (Ps 139:13-14)

 

Bottom line: If you want to truly understand our identity you should ask God.  What He says about you is what is most true of you.  He defines who you are, not you alone.  This is a profound departure from the spirit of our age.  We want to control everything about our lives, even those things we can never control.  It is hubris on a gigantic cultural scale.

 

So, when I ask, "Who am I?" I should ask, "Who has God made me to be?"

 

If you believe the Bible, then you would say God has created you uniquely, He has given you a purpose, gifts and abilities, experiences, and a destiny.  As a new person in Christ, you are a sinner saved by grace, a child of God, and a member of God's household.  You have a mission here on earth and a home in heaven. Let's consider Ps 139 more fully:

 

For You formed my inward parts; You wove me in my mother’s womb. I will give thanks to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Wonderful are Your works, And my soul knows it very well. My frame was not hidden from You, When I was made in secret, And skillfully wrought in the depths of the earth; Your eyes have seen my unformed substance; And in Your book were all written The days that were ordained for me, When as yet there was not one of them. How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God! How vast is the sum of them! If I should count them, they would outnumber the sand. When I awake, I am still with You. (Ps 139:13-18)

 

What is most true of you is what God says about you!    

 

New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update (La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995).