How To Discover Your True Identity- Part 1
It isn’t what we do that matter the most. It is not even
what we are. It is who we are, first and foremost. I may be
good at teaching; that is my gifting. I may even be a well trained
teacher who is really good at my life career. Well, that is
what I am, a really good teacher; but that is not who I am.
Does that make sense?
Jones was caught stealing the other day. That’s what
he did. To be sure, that is bad. But then, over time, Jones
took to stealing ever so often. Too bad, that is what he is
now – a thief. But is that all there is to Jones? Having
known that Jones is a thief, have we known all there is to him?
It is so easy to define ourselves by what we are or by what
we do. ‘He is a medical doctor.’ ‘She is an
actress.’ ‘That guy is a fine gentleman.’
We live in a culture that likes to categorize and put a label
on people. Have you noticed? ‘She is black.’ ‘He
is white’. ‘Oh, Grace? She is Latino.’ Somehow,
if we can just define and categorize one another, then it becomes
easier to deal with the other group, right? Like, if I know
Grace is Latino, then I sort of know what to expect from Grace
– because somehow, in my mind, there is an assumption
that I know how Latinos or Blacks or Whites or Asians behave.
That way, I don’t have to deal with Grace on an individual,
unbiased level. You see, I don’t have to get involved,
or be genuine and whole and sincere or vulnerable. I can simply
deal with other individuals, especially those from a different
group or race, from a distance.
Ok, let’s admit it; this type of discussion makes a lot
of people uncomfortable. Why? Precisely for the same reason
that we don’t want to honestly deal with our inner selves.
So, we sort of prefer to deal with the externalities; to live
our life from a distance, shallow and shielded.
Well, you know it as much as I do; it is a lame way to live.
It is the way of weak-minded, somewhat ignorant and shallow
individuals who have not yet understood the basic fact about
who we are, as different from what we are or what we do.
But don’t get me wrong. What we do is important. What
we are is even more important. But who we are is much more important.
This was the lesson that a middle-aged man in ancient Israel
was to learn several years back.
His name was Jacob. He cheated his brother out of his rightful
inheritance, and ran away. But chicken will always come back
to roost in, right? After several years of running, he decided
it was time to go back home and face his brother, and deal with
the consequences of his behavior.
Now, just a short distance away from home, Jacob became desperate.
What if his brother was still angry with him? Was he endangering
his life and those of his two wives and many children? Was he
being reckless? If anything, at this point, Jacob really needed
God’s help. This time, he could not afford to be distant
or shallow with God. Men, he was either going to be honest,
real honest with himself and God, or he was going to be in real
trouble. With this attitude, Jacob went into the woods to pray;
somewhere private, where he could be real honest without being
ashamed, where he could cry if necessary and not be embarrassed,
where he could let it all out and not wonder who took note.
It was written that he prayed all night. This guy must have
had quite a lot on his mind. Ever been there where you have
to stay up all night because of a major need?
You say, ‘Yeah, but what has this got to do with understanding
who I truly am?’ I will tell you in a moment. But notice,
in response to his all night prayer, God simply asked Jacob
a question (the ‘Man’ in the text refers to God
who appeared to him in the form of an angel):
[The Man] asked him, What is your name? And [in shock of realization,
whispering] he said, Jacob [supplanter, schemer, trickster,
swindler]! And He said, Your name shall be called no more Jacob
[supplanter], but Israel [contender with God]; for you have
contended and have power with God and with men and have prevailed.
Genesis 32: 27- 28, Amplified.
“What is your name?” That is the question we must
honestly answer, just like Jacob, before God may help us. Name
represents identity, definition, and categorization. What ways
have we been defining ourselves and other people? By what you
do, by what you are ( such as tall, black, white, asian, handsome,
ugly etc), or by who God made you to be?
Jacob replied, ‘My name is Jacob - a cheat, a schemer,
a swindler; that’s what I am’. You see, Jacob had
to be honest this time. In his deepest moment of reflection,
the person that Jacob could see in him was ‘a cheat’.
Yes, what we are and what we do are very important. They becloud
our true identity and obscure our purpose, if they are the wrong
things.
But thank God, now at last, Jacob could be honest enough to
face himself, courageous enough to admit his sin, humble enough
to admit it to another, repentant enough to look up to God with
pleading eyes.
To discover the real reason we are here on earth (purpose)
and take our place (assignment), we need to take a clue from
Jacob, and be real honest with God and with ourselves; courageous
enough to admit our sins and change from our ways of error.
But in the next post, I am going to share with you what is
the most interesting discovery Jacob made. It wasn’t just
the blessedness of being real and authentic (as if that was
not enough in itself); it was the discovery of his true identity.
Discovery of purpose begins with a clear understanding of our
true identity.
If any of these writings bless you, feel free to post
a comment or share a testimony with us. Others may be blessed
by your testimony or comment. And feel free to contact us anytime.
Our genuine desire is to assist you in your search for meaning
and joy.
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blog for more.
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