My school mates and I from high school recently reconnected due the unfortunate passing of one of our colleagues. During this time, the idea of having a reunion was floated around. Interested persons who wanted to join the planning committee were asked to identify themselves in the group chat. At the time I had thought about joining the committee but was hesitant due to my own insecurities. I therefore allowed the deadline to join the committee to pass. However, after thinking things through, I said why not me? I can help. So, I reached out to the person in charge to inquire if it was too late to join. Her response is what inspired this post. She said, “no it’s not too, you can be that representative for the Christian group, as we need a representative for everyone”. 

Now, I haven’t spoken to or communicated with this particular schoolmate for the past 8 years, but she could still recall “who I am”. Now, the younger me, a few years ago would have been offended by the statement because in my early walk as a Christian, I often felt as though it was restrictive and burdensome to be ‘the light and salt of the world’ as so Jesus puts it. (Matthew 5:13-16). After all, I had the misconception in believing that being a Christian meant I had to be perfect, which couldn’t be farther from the truth as that is not what Christianity is about. Additionally, in my formative years, there were many times I just wanted to fit in, to be like everyone else, and to do what everyone else was doing even though I knew better. However, somewhere in between all of that, God reminded me that I wear a coat of many colours. So now, being older and little a bit wiser, I couldn’t have been more ecstatic when my schoolmate made that comment because truly my identity is indeed found in Christ, and I want everyone to know that. After this whole exchange, it inspired the topic Who Are You? A topic I have wanted to explore for a while. 

So, I guess that’s the question we ask ourselves many times. Who are we? What is our identity? 

Identity can be defined as “the way you think about yourself, the way you are viewed by the world and the characteristics that define you.”

Who are you? is a question we are constantly asked, from job interviews to school introductions or just simply meeting someone for the first time? I had always struggled to find an answer to this question until I realised that I am who my Father (God) says I am.

In a Sister Circle interview, Priscilla Shirer was talking about her new book. This book is intended for young girls and women. Even though the book is for females, the message is still applicable to all of us, despite our gender. She says, “You’re not your behaviour, you’re not your struggle, you’re not your worst mistake, you’re not your past, you’re not what has been done to you, those things might be what you have experienced but that’s not who you are. She went further to say that your value is not rooted in those things. Your significance and value have already been established by God, you are who your Father says you are, no matter what has happened, your value is there.

Who does the Father Say We Are? 

When God created the world, man was created in the image and likeness of God (Genesis 1:26-27). We were the very image of God, however, humanity lost that when Adam sinned, and thus, we lost this identity. However, God extended grace to humanity and so through Christ’s sacrifice in atoning for our sins on the cross, we can be restored to this image and likeness of God and be in a relationship with Him as well as be gifted with every good thing our Heavenly Father wanted to give us initially; in the Garden of Eden. 

Therefore, through Christ’s sacrifice, we can all be redeemed, and we are all entitled to the inheritance of eternal life which our Heavenly Father has bestowed upon us. All we have to do is to believe and accept it. The problem is the devil knows this too, and as a result, he deceives and manipulates persons to either sell their gifts, walk away from their gifts, or to search for something of lesser value (John 10:10). 

The Bible tells us that in Christ, we are blessed (Ephesians 1:3, Psalm 118:26), we are chosen (Ephesians 1:4, 1 Peter 2:9, Colossians 3:12), we are loved (1 John 4:10, John 3:16), we are forgiven (Ephesians 1:7, 1 John 2:12, Colossians 1:14), we are redeemed (Ephesians 1:7, Romans 3:24, Colossians 1:14), we are God’s children (John 1:12, Ephesians 1:5, Roman 8:17), we have been given wisdom and understanding (Ephesians 1:8), we are marked with a seal (Ephesians 1:13), we are God’s masterpiece (Ephesians 2:10), we are seen as precious (John 3:16), we are made new (2 Corinthians 5:17, Ephesians 4:24), we are saved (Romans 8:1), we are accepted (Romans 15:7), we are made strong (2 Corinthians 12:10, Philippians 4:13), we are made complete (Colossians 2:10), we are made righteous (2 Corinthians 5:21). And this is just the tip of the iceberg of how the Bible describes who we are in Christ.

The devil, therefore, feeds us with LIES so that we will walk away or sell our inheritance. He tells us things like: you are not good enough, God couldn’t possibly want you after all you have done, your faith is restrictive, you’re weird if you are a Christian, people will laugh at you, no one cares about you, you can’t be forgiven, you’re not worthy, you’re nobody. All these are LIES. The declarations of who God says we are, are all in the past tense. Meaning, it is already there for us to have. It is already established; we just need to ACCEPT IT. Stop searching for what you already have! You are not going to find what you are looking for in the alcohol, in the drugs, at the raves, in other people, etc. You will find it in God.

I use the example of a father leaving a house for his children to inherit. This father leaves a massive house for his children as an inheritance. However, instead of the children taking possession of the house they are persuaded to sell it for less than its worth, not realising that the house is sitting on a lucrative oil mine. They choose not to accept the house because they believe they can get something ‘better’ on their own. So, the children leave and go looking for their own wealth not realising that they already had everything they needed. It is the same thing with the Kingdom of God. Through believing and accepting Jesus Christ, we are able to walk into who we are: who God wanted us to be from the start. Therefore, when we accept Christ, we wear a coat of many colours like Joseph; we are set apart (Genesis 37). We have a privileged relationship with God, and because of that, we have access to everything He has already established for us. So, I urge you all to stop listening to the lies and the incomplete and undeveloped views of who you are because that is not who you are, or who God meant for you to be. 

I pray that if you haven’t figured it out as yet that you will come to the place to know who you are. You are who your Father says you are. So, like Mufasa said to Simba in the Lion King, “you are more than what you have become. Remember who you are. Remember!”