Who am I?

"Who are you?"

sounds like a simple question requiring a simple answer, but it really isn't. 

Most would say their name, for instance, "I'm Davy Geraldine."
But no, that's just your name.

"I'm a youth worker." 

No, that's what you do.

"I'm a Singaporean." 

No, that's where you're born.

I could also say I'm tall and lean. However, my physical appearance and dimensions aren't me either. if you chopped off my arms and legs would i still be me? Yes.
If you transplanted my heart, kidneys or liver would i still be me? of course!
Who I am, though, is far more than what you see on the outside.

The apostle Paul said" we recognize no man according to the flesh "(2 cor 5:16) 

and the question for myself is; Is who you are determined by what you do, or is what you do determined by who you are?

We tend to accept the false belief that good appearance plus the admiration it brings equal a whole person. or we believe that a certain amount of status plus the recognition we accumulate equal a whole person. 

Often what we show on the outside is a false front designed to disguise who we really are, and we cover up the negative feelings we have about ourselves. the world would have us believe that if we appear attractive or perform well or enjoy a certain amount of status, then we will have it altogether inside as well. this is not always true, external appearance, accomplishment and recognition don't necessarily reflect or produce internal peace and maturity. 

Try as we might by our appearance, performance or social status to find self-verification for a sense of being somebody, we always fall short of satisfaction. whatever pinnacle of self-identity we achieve soon crumbles under the pressure of hostile rejection or criticism, introspection or guilt, fear or anxiety. we cannot do anything to qualify for the by product of being loved unconditionally and voluntarily. 

King Solomon sought to find purpose and meaning in life independent of God; a life not keeping someone accountable and relying on his own strength, and he wrote a book of Ecclesiastes describing the futility of humankind pursuing a meaningful life in a fallen world without God. Millions of people climb those ladders of "success", only to discover when they reach the top that their ladder is leaning against the wrong wall. 

Is it possible to find hope for growth, meaning and purpose not knowing who you are, or what you are created for? What is your identity based on? Is what you are doing now or striving for comes from an established identity, or are you striving for an identity in the world that always changes? are you merely just a by-product of evolution, by chance, or a creation that is specially designed for more?? 

I wholeheartedly believe that our hope for growth, meaning and fulfillment is based on the understanding of who you are, specifically your identity.

One can't help but be sadistic in the world, not knowing "who I am".

But in God's kingdom, there is a huge paradigm shift. Everyone has exactly the same opportunity for a meaningful life. because wholeness and meaning in life are not the products or what you have or don't have, or what you've done or haven't done. You are already a whole person and possess a life of infinite meaning and purpose because of who you are, a child of god.  

This is more than what you see on the outside and what you've done or what has been done to you.

Many say that the longest distance is found between heaven and hell, and that's only 18 inches apart. 18 inches, is the distance between our head and our heart. Knowing in our head that there is a God is different from really knowing in yourself who you really are in Him. 

Once you do, you become spiritually alive. Eternal life or being alive spiritually is not something you get when you die. it began when we personally trust in him.
Salvation is not a future addition, it is a present transformation.
Being a christian is not just a matter of getting something, it is a matter of being someone. a christian is not simply a person who is forgiven and goes to heaven. a christian in terms of his or her deepest identity, is a saint, a spiritually born child of god, a divine masterpiece, a child of light, a citizen of heaven. what you receive as a christian isn't the point, it is who you are. it is not what you do as a christian that determines who you are, it is who you are that determines what you do. (2cor 5:17, eph 2:10, 1 peter 2:9,10, 1 john 3:12)

So the question is, do you know who you are, my friend?

If any of you happened to stumble upon this, and clueless about who God is, I just want you to know that there is a life that is truly life. A life awaits that can be live to the full. It goes beyond being caught in a rat race, a chasing after the wind (Ecc 1:14). Yet, it has nothing to do with a bunch of rules, "do"s and "don't"s, and isn't about doing the bare minimum to enjoy life. Neither it is about doing good, being nice, living in a "la-la land" and eventually being remembered by your friends or family. To me, there's more.

" I have come so that they may have life, and have it to the full."

The very words of Jesus, He came 2000 years ago, died for our wrongs; a debt we can never pay. He loves unconditionally, and wants us to have a life to the fullest.
This is a gift poured out freely. It is free for all, but it isn't cheap, it comes at a cost.

I am a child of God, loved by the utmost king,
and I am going to live like one, knowing who I am in Him.