Overcomer #14 – Who Are You?

“Who are you?”

“I’m David Smith.”

“Oh, that’s your name. But who are you?”

“I’m a pastor.”

“No, that’s what you do.”

“I’m a Caucasian male.”

“No, that’s your ethnicity, your gender. Who are you?”

“I’m with the Christian and Missionary Alliance.”

“No, that’s your denomination.”

I could add my height and weight. The color of my hair. How I smile. My place in the family. But none of these describe who I am.

We tend to identify ourselves according to:

• What we look like – tall, short, stocky, slender.

• What we do – computer expert, banker, nurse, engineer.

• What we believe – Protestant, evangelical, Calvinist, Arminian.

• What is our role – husband, wife, parent, grandparent, single adult, teenager.

But who we really are is not determined by what we look like, what we do, what is our faith position, or what is our role in life.

Our core identity is found in being in Christ as a child of God.

A 17-year-old girl had a lot going for her. Attractive. Well-dressed. Completed 12 years of education in 11 years. Graduated with a high “A” average.

As a talented musician, she received a full music scholarship to a Christian university. She drove a brand new sports car her parents gave her for graduation.

Her outside, however, didn’t match her inside. Someone asked her, “Have you ever cried yourself to sleep at night because you felt inadequate and wished you were somebody else?”

She began to cry. “How did you know?”

We might think that if only we could have good looks, then others would admire us.

If only we could achieve a certain status, then others would recognize us as someone important.

If only we could accumulate certain possessions, then others would respect us.

If only we could accomplish a star performance, then others would applaud us for our accomplishments.

If only we could succeed in business or in school, then our lives would have meaning.

But the only identity that works in the kingdom of God is that we are “in Christ” and “Christ is in us”. Only in Christ can we find wholeness and meaning. So, who are you?

~ Pastor Dave