Week 2 Day 2: Who Am I

"For he knows how weak we are; he remembers we are only dust." Psalms 103:14 NLT

We have to learn who/what something is in order to thrive in its presence, but there is something else we have to ascertain as well. We must discover who we are. It makes sense that we must know who we are in order to live out the lives for which we were created. There are so many of us living below the line of excellence, doing things that are contrary to the unique creative being we are because we are lost to ourselves.

So many people who were adopted think the answer to who they are lies in who their biological parents are. Yet thousands of people who know who their parents are long to find out where they come from, so they do DNA tests. Even after people find their parents/ancestry, they are not satisfied. At first they are thrilled but when the new wears off they slide right back into a deep longing.

Not knowing who we are affects how we see ourselves. We struggle with either too low or too high self-esteem. Both extremes stem from the fear that we are not good enough, not known and not loved. But when we see ourselves in the light of who we really are, the pendulum swings toward the middle, giving us a healthy self-esteem. This is why we have to know who we are.

God has a purpose for each of us that is specific to how we are uniquely created. He gave us our own creative and ruling natures that are designed to work in unison with Him. When we realize who we are and live within His plans and His purposes for us, we find a joy and a peace that is beyond human explanation.  This is how life is supposed to be and it is more filling and lasting than anything the world can offer. 

So, we ask ourselves who am I? You are a miracle.

You are a design of God. He stooped down to gather dust and made you on purpose with intricate detail and for a purpose. He took His own breath and breathed life into you. Before you existed God thought of you, designed you, loved you and He created you for a reason and with purpose. Your job is not to get His approval or His love, you already have that. 

The whole point of life is to grow, live and breathe with Him so we can achieve His purposes for us. Goals we set for ourselves, even if we reach them are empty because living in Him is the one true goal we were literally made for. If we continually look at what others have or what others are doing we will completely miss the wonders of the plans He made for us. He made us uniquely for purposes that absolutely no one else can fulfill.

“All that we have and are is one of the unique and never to be repeated ways God has chosen to express Himself in space and time. Each of us, made in His image and likeness, is yet another promise He has made to the universe that He will continue to love it and care for it.” Brennan Manning

In other words, you are God’s love letter to the world and an answer to someone’s prayer…every…single…day of your life. When you position yourself to join Him you are bringing His presence into every situation you encounter, causing heaven to invade the earth. Sound familiar? Don’t miss that!

Honestly look at yourself. Do you tend to think too much or too little of yourself? How can having a healthy self-esteem help you love yourself and others better?

Meditate on Psalm 103:14 today