Article by Tom Gilbert — April 2005
God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM.” This is what you are to say to the Israelites:
‘I AM has sent me to you.’”
(Exodus 3:14)
“I Am the Alpha and the
Omega” says the Lord God, who is and who was
and who is to the come, the Almighty. (Revelations
1:8)
“I am not in this world to live up
to other people’s expectations, nor do I feel that the world
must live up to mine.” (Fritz Perls)
Discovering who and what I
am is a constantly evolving and changing thing.
At the core, the essence of who and what I am is unchanging.
That is because I, like you, have been created by a loving and caring
God. Sure, I am a product of heredity and I have the genes of my family
tree. Still, I am a unique individual. So are you. There is no other
just like you and never will be.
You’ve heard the saying, “life
is an inside job”. There’s a great deal
of truth in this. Each of us must do the work to discover
who we are. Some of that is based on how we’ve
grown up, what we’ve learned and done and what
we believe. Any change that we need to make is going
to start by taking honest stock of ourselves and shouldering
the responsibility to make the changes we need to and
can.
Despite what anyone thinks we are not
alone in this process. We are constantly influenced
by community and there is a higher power, a God of
your understanding, which can help you realize who
you are.
Look to the Model You can get help discovering who you
really are by looking to the model that Jesus Christ
gave us. Jesus, the Messiah, is fully human and divine.
Although He is on par and one with the eternal God
in the mystery of the Trinity, he didn’t consider
his divinity something to be flaunted as a way of demanding
recognition or worship. Paul wrote in the New Testament
that even though Christ Jesus was in the form of God
he didn’t count equality with God something to
be grasped, but emptied himself and took the form of
a servant (Philippians 2:6-7).
In the same chapter Paul even tells us
that we should have the mind of Christ. Furthermore,
the
New Testament also teaches us that we are to become
like Christ by following His example and loving everyone,
even our enemies. The Gospel of John, chapter 17, has
Jesus praying to Father God that each of His followers
would know unity with God – to be one just as
He and the Father are one.
We see over and over in scripture that
God loves His creation. And God, the Father, loves
the Son. The Son, in return, loves the Father and thanks
and praises the Father constantly. Is it not clear
that the relationship demonstrated by Jesus and the
Father is an example of how we are to live? If we can
only accept that we are a beloved child of God – a
son or daughter of God always and eternally loved – then
we must accept that life is good and it is ultimately
a safe universe. Yes, even in the midst of trouble
when all seems to be lost. Especially in these moments!
Discovering who you are and what
that means is your lifelong journey. Each of us walks
our path. This journey may take you through many
experiences with lessons along the way. Sometimes
we stumble. Sometimes we fall. Suffering and humiliation
can be regular companions.
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