This morning I had an opportunity to get together with some other men from one of our men’s community groups at St. Luke’s Edmond. We have been reading a book together and this morning the topic of our identity came up. We began to discuss how we define ourselves. What makes us who we are?
Often, it seems as though we have a tendency to identify ourselves based on the things we do. We tell people who we are by telling them about our jobs and what we do for fun. However, the reality is those things are not what make us who we are. We rarely pause to reflect on who we actually are.
I asked each of the men to consider what they are most proud of in life. Not a single answer had anything to do with careers, hobbies, or material possessions. Everything we were most proud of had to do with our families and relationships.
When we begin to consider what we are most proud of in life it gives us a clue about what our real identity is because it reveals what is most important to us. Once we begin to understand who we really are we can hang on to that and allow that to be what guides our decision making in life.
When Jesus shared the things that were most important to him, or the things that he was most proud of, it never had to do with possessions or the things he did. He never identified himself by the miracles he performed. Instead, he would talk about how close he was to his Father in heaven. He would talk about how much he loved his disciples and wanted to serve them. Our identity does not come from the things we do, but rather, it comes from the relationships we have. What are you most proud of in your life?
