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Who Are You?

Every once in a while I have to remind myself regarding my identity. And by 'every once in a while', I mean every moment of every day.

My identity is not found in the number of people who laugh at my jokes. It is not found in the number of people who show up to things I plan. It is not found in the number of followers I have on Twitter, the number of people I am LinkedIn to, or the number of friends I have on Facebook. (It's a good thing, too.)

My identity is not found in the number of people who comment on my blog, take time to say hi to me in a day, or by the number of emails I get from people who were just thinking about me. (Again, it's a good thing.)

My identity is not found in how many things I can check off my to-do list, by the number of things accomplished or by the number of people impacted by what I do.

My identity is not found in how fast I can run, how many baskets I can make in basketball, how much my Fantasy Football team can score, or even by how much cheese I can put into my eggs. (It's a lot.)

My identity is not found in the things I like or the things I don't like, the doctrines I adhere to or the teachings I roll my eyes at, and it is not found in how many people choose to agree or disagree with me.

In case you are wondering, neither is your identity found in any of those things.

When all is said and done, my identity is found in Jesus Christ, the Son of God who decided that who I am was worth giving up who He was.

I am a child of the King, a son of my Heavenly Father and a servant to the only Master whose opinion matters.

That's who I am. Who are you?

Comments

Karmen M. said…
good reminder an truth. Thanks for sharing.
Rick Nier said…
Oh, and thank you for reading. I would have said this sooner, but my browser was acting up, not allowing me to see the comments.

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