Who Am I?

At some point in your life, you are going to ask this question. It is possible that you’re going to ask it many times throughout your life. In each instance you will look at all that you have accomplished and endured and probably come up with an answer which is wholly based upon…you!

Many of you might think, “Well who else am I supposed to be if not me?” Don’t get me wrong here, you are exactly the one, however, your mindset might not be even aware of ONE as much as it’s focused on the Many. No, I’m not claiming how it’s possible that you may be suffering from a split personality disorder either. What I am saying is that your definition of who you are is tied to others, and how you interact with, and do for them.

What do you do when…

Case in point: I am a teacher. If there were no other person on this planet, would I be able to make this claim? Obviously not. The same can be said about any identity which is derived from any profession. This even applies to every parent who suddenly discovers how their identity as a father or mother radically changes once the last child has left the nest.

It’s interesting how when you attend a social gathering where there are new people who you have never met before, one of the first things they ask you after the introduction is, “What do you do?” This idea that “doing” somehow determines our identity permeates our entire social structure. Garbage men are not deemed highly success oriented in many social circles, but if they don’t pick up one day, their importance becomes very apparent.

Education also seems to be a priority in claiming an identity. We boast about graduating from some institution of higher learning with varying degrees awarded for our patronage. The hope is that we’ll be able to take the years of learning and implement them into a profession where we can move from an identity of student to a… Reality often crushes these hopes when the demand for repayment of loans to pay for the education force our identity to be lowered below our expectation.

You are who you hang with

The most insidious marker for identity is the beliefs of other people. Conformity to the masses is fraught with sudden shifts and nuances from a very early age in this life. Clothing styles, hair color and/or length, gender, speech patterns, dietary restrictions, scholastic performances, and a cavalcade of peer pressures wreck the identity of children more than build it up. Many find the pressure to great and prematurely end their lives, while others seclude themselves in their thoughts and disappear from sight contently staying on the fringes of society.

All of these items, and many more which I haven’t even touched upon, drive the quest for our identity, but they don’t truly answer it. If I ask most people who come from a western religious background who they are, the response typically is the mimic of some preacher from their past, “I’m a child of God.” While this “might” be a truthful response, there is always a bit of hesitation in its delivery possibly from a gut check to determine if what they are about to claim is a reality in their daily life.

Okay. Yes, I said “might.” The question, if you’re willing to ask it, is whether or not their response is merely a mimic from peer pressure or a revelation they have had. Chances are quite high that peer pressure has more to do with belief in a church environment than a personal revelation. The reason for this has more to do with intention than with a daily bible devotion and twice a week services.

Depth not breadth

Who am I? First, I am not anything which can be identified with this earth. This goes all the way down to even being called “mortal,” which means “being subject to death.” Immediately, that claim is going to cause many of you to buckle. You look around yourself, even within your own family, and this claim is blatantly false, right? Consider this: Do trees die in the autumn and winter of their lives? Is it possible what we think of as “death” of the body is only the winter display of an inner truth we can’t comprehend?

Who am I if I am not of this earth? I am a soul. “Child of God” people have trouble with this simply because most have been taught that our soul is corrupted. Actually, that teaching is corrupt. Our souls were placed inside a mortal shell by God. They are incorruptible and eternal, incapable of death. When the last mortal breath is offered, the soul returns to its point of origin – God.

When dealing with the religious class of his day, Jesus had to remind them of what their scriptures said when David claimed, “…You are gods.” The religious leaders were bent out of shape by what Jesus was proclaiming and accused him of claiming that He was God. Jesus’ rebuttal has opened up a portal, even up to this day, which the clergy will not accept and keep locked away from the congregation as a whole. You are gods!

Your soul came directly from the ground of all creation, God. Each soul is a fractal of God. Just as a drop of water from the ocean is the still the ocean, our soul, our identity, is God. No, we are not God, but our soul possesses all the attributes of God as His representative in this mortal shell within His creation.

There is a popular Christian song by Casting Crowns entitled, “Who am I.” Many years ago, when I first heard it, I could readily identify with the lyrics like millions of other believers could. It glorifies God’s magnificence and humbly asks who I am compared to such a being. The final lines of the song repeat the phrase,” I am yours.” Today, after revelation has poured out on my journey, I sing the last phrases as “I am you.”

Some of you will find this subject difficult to grasp. However, it does not negate its Truth. You will need to receive the revelation yourself and this only will come as you hold this before you in silent meditation. You will need to go within to see what you have been living without. You don’t need to make a big spectacle of this. Just be still and know He is God and you…

Allow this song be a reminder of your journey.

I Am Who I Am

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