Have you ever secretly wondered to yourself, “Who am I?”
Hi, I'm Joni Eareckson Tada and I know I have – especially after I broke my neck in that diving accident so many years ago. Up until then, my identity was wrapped up in athletics, getting ready for college, planning a career... But then, wham! I broke my neck. And after I landed in a wheelchair, everything changed so much (not just around me, but inside of me, inside my mind), good grief, I just did not know who I was. A friend of mine named Jim told me that his teenaged daughter, Jessica, came in the back door the other day after a hard day at the community college with the same age-old question, she did. She slammed down her books and he heard her mutter, "Man, I don't know who in the heck I am!" Jim later learned that Jessica felt totally confused -- she was one way with her peers at school, another way with her boss at Starbucks, and a different way with her family at home.
We’ve all been there. And we’ve all had to answer that question, “Who am I?” and it’s not as easy as you think. It's easy to answer “what” we are or “where” we are or even “why” we are. But beyond one's name and, yes, the fact that you are a Christian, we sometimes think there’s little to claim as something that is uniquely our identity. But listen to what my friend, Jim, said to his daughter that night. Listen to how he answered his daughter’s question. He said to her, "Jessica, you really are the choices you make and the friends you keep. That is how people will know you. And oddly enough, that is how you will come to know yourself as well."
Wow, what a lesson: a Christian's place as a child of light sets the entire stage for our identity. We are children of the light… who are we? We are people who make famous the name of Jesus, who reflect His qualities, who showcase His attributes. But (and here’s the not-so-easy part): it is the day-to-day, nitty gritty choices of life through which our ultimate identity is shaped. And not only do our decisions define us, so do our friends. Children of the light can stand down front and center with those who love Christ, or they can hide in the faint shadows upstage with empty, vain conversations with those who do not believe. So… where do you stand? If someone were to judge you by the company you keep, the friends you have, or the men or women or young people you spend most of your time with… what would that say about you?
Just as Jessica can go to her father for lessons in her identity, so too can you and I ask our Father for answers. "Make choices that reflect well in the light," our Father would tell us. "And have you seen my Son, Jesus Christ? Spend time with Him and you will be like Him."
Friend, God knows who you are. He has your identity all wrapped up. After all, He tells us in His Word that in Him we move and breathe and have our very being. And elsewhere we are told that we’re “hid with Christ in God.” So, get to know Jesus and you’ll get to know yourself… your real self. Because, friend, he has destined you to be like his Son. So you don’t need to wonder who you are (even in your weakest moments). You don't need to doubt your identity. If you simply live as he asks, you’ll find it.
Closing words? Well, Ephesians 5 puts it this way, “Therefore, do not be partners with [those who are disobedient]. For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light.” And make that right choice today. Friend, remember, you are the choices you make and you are the friends that you keep. That’s how people will know you and oddly enough that’s how you’ll come to know yourself as well.
Used by permission of
JONI AND FRIENDS
P.O. Box 3333
Agoura Hills, CA 91376
© Joni and Friends