Since the beginning, we, the collective human race, have struggled with the simple questions. Who are you? From the Greek philosophers who inscribed on the Temple of Apollo, “Know Thy Self,” to the 70’s band, The Who, we have been asking, “Who am I?”
The most common response we give is our name. Makes sense in normal conversation, but your name is just what we call the “you” that lies underneath. The next response given usually has to do with what people do: I’m a CPA, I’m a stay at home mom, I’m a pastor, or I’m a burger flipper. But is that who you really are? I would argue that the answer is no. Why? Well what we do is subject to change. Most likely you won’t always be a stay at home mom (I can hear the “Amen” now!).
If you have been around for a good bit you understand how things change. Jobs and houses come and go. Levels of fitness definitely come and go. So underneath all that change, who in the wide world of sports are you?
If you call on the name of Jesus as your Lord and Savior, like myself, your answer should be that you are a Child of God. The unchanging God has adopted you, and your adoption is unchanging. No matter what happens here on earth, whether you get the promotion or not, you are still a Child of God. Whether you get that snatch PR or not, you are still a child of God. In your success and/or failure you are still a Child of God.
With that adoption you are also have an unchanging calling! You are called by God to live your life in such a way that people ask “Who are you?” Like John the Baptist in John 1, you are called to live a life that speaks to something greater than you.
The whole nation saw this man in the wilderness and wondered, “Could this be the Messiah” (Luke 3:15). John was living a notable life in obedience to God and it caused the Leaders of the day to come and ask “Who are you?”
What is amazing is that John didn’t claim to be anybody special but instead said, “I am a voice of one crying out in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way of the Lord,’ As the prophet Isaiah said.”
In the midst of a notable ministry John humbly responds that he is nothing to be celebrated, but rather the One coming after him is!
In the same way, as Children of God, we are called to put the barbell down and lift Christ up, through the struggle and the joy. I pray that today, by God’s strength you will live your life in such a way that God is honored. If you do, I guarantee people will take notice. And, like John, tell them about your Jesus.
- Greg Brooks // Husband, Father and Director of Student Ministries at Christian and Missionary Alliance.