There was a time I thought I knew who I was. I knew my likes and dislikes; things I would do and never do except never was a forbidden word in my life. Forbidden because every time I said that word God would make me face the very impossibility I’d spoken of. You see, never is a dangerous word. Never denies that people can grow and evolve. It also denies that anything can happen which inevitably wipes out the belief that God is who He says He is. It was almost as if He would test me to see if I’d be willing to put aside what I thought I knew about myself and do something that was out of character for a past version of me.
In every season, when I thought I finally knew who I was, God would show me another part of myself that I never knew existed. I believe all of us at some point in life run into a situation that makes us question who we truly are. It was in my broken season that I felt like I didn’t even know who I was anymore. That was exactly where God wanted me.
In the aftermath, I can see that I didn’t truly know who I was. Many times we find our identities in our interests, hobbies, accomplishments, friendships, and what others have labeled us. But there is an identity that God has given us that exists outside of degrees earned and the circumstances we may currently find ourselves in. It cannot be found in the music we listen to or books we read. It can’t be found in how culture defines us. It can only be found in Christ. We are endless, we are powerful, we are His, and if we find our identity in all of these things that are constantly changing, we will never have stability of purpose or stability in who we are.
Joseph, David, and Esther all knew who they were. There are other examples such as Paul, Mary, etc. Start at Christ and truly listen to God. Listen to not only hear Him but to submit and obey to get to know Him. From there He’ll begin to truly reveal who you are despite the day, age, and culture. In doing so, you’ll end up finding you and by then it won’t even be about you anymore.