"Who Am I? Which Am I?"

Our modern world is living under a major crisis, where every youth is searching for their identity and few seem to be succeeding to the full satisfaction.

The sad thing is that the majority of people from the past would probably laugh at us. "Why do you care who you are?" They might ask. "What does it matter?"

"Easy for you to say," we'd reply. "You don't have to decide what to do with your entire life. It's been decided for you since your great-great grandfather took up from where his father left off. I have choices. Billions of them."

We are in a unique, horrible time. Because not only are we searching for who we are and what we should do with all of our lives we also don't want what we do to define us. Because deep down we feel as if we are much more than our chosen careers.

The thing is we are both right and wrong about this belief. I explain how work is an integral part of our identity in Work Then Rest.

But I'd like to use this post to say that we are so much more than how we make our money.

I think the first step toward finding our identity is to know a few things about God.

[M]an never attains to a true self-knowledge until he has previously contemplated the face of God, and come down after such contemplation to look into himself. ~ John Calvin

Once you become aware that the main business that you are here for is to know God, most of life's problems fall into place of their own accord. ~ J.I. Packer

Aim at heaven and you will get earth thrown in. Aim at earth and you will get neither. ~ C. S. Lewis

Source

By looking to God we can learn something about ourselves, not only because we were made in His image, but also because those of us that have decided to follow Him desire to become more like Him.

But don't think I'm about to spat out the cliche answer of, "Our identity is found in God alone."

I do believe that are sole and upmost purpose it to live a life fully for God. Yet, if we are honest, to have someone tell us that our identity is found in Christ alone is sadly unsatisfactory. Because it still tells us nothing about us.

It's like saying identity doesn't matter.
Which, again is true. But that doesn't mean it will satisfy the searcher to give up the quest for self. Because when we are on such a personal mission we desire a stronger answer full of conviction. Empty words, no matter how true they may be, will only cause more harm than help.

Such words will only lead us toward finding our identity amidst the lies of the world, because that sort of answer does not show a path but suffocates our questions with jargon.

Identity can only be found when looking at whom God is.
But we must look at who He is.
And one we do the questions of identity becomes clearer and fascinating.


God is love. 1 John:4:8
Yet he hates. Psalm 5:5

He is mercy. Exodus 34:6-7
Yet, He gives judgement. James 4:12

He's goodness. Psalm 27:13
He's truth. John 14:6
He's our Father. Matthew 23:9
He's our Creator. Genesis
He's light. Psalm 27:1

God is life, Proverbs 14:27
and yet He has helped the righteous defeat their enemies. Deuteronomy 20:1

God is the beginning AND the ending. Revelation 1:8

If we study into the character of God we find God is so much more than what we at first thought. In fact, the study of who God is is so vast and impossible to ever fully finish. Because He is not a small God neither is His personality.

I mean, just look at His names. While He has one personal name, Yahweh, God also has many titles and descriptions. And each of those names/ titles portray pieces of His vastness.

I'm not saying this to say the character of God is a contradiction, but that God is character is not singular in attribute; but who He is, is vast in a plural, unlimited sense.

We who are Created in Yahweh's image are no different.

We are more than the words we use label ourselves.

What we eat,
read,
watch,
do,
and love does define who we are.

At the same time, we are more.

We are who we follow or pursue most of all, I believe. Because what or whom we follow we strive to become like. If it's God we choose to serve, it's only natural that many of His attributes will pour down onto us.
In this sense a huge part of our identity will be found in God.

But just like God, no one thing makes us who we are.

It's everything together.

Who we are is vast (in a finite way) as God. And trying to pinpoint who we are, as if we could, will only put us in a place of frustration. And if we believe we can define all of who we are we will find ourselves at stalemate with no room for growth.

We aren't meant to find ourselves and remain in a place of non-growth. We are meant to find and follow Yeshua. Life is meant to be a challenge and a time to learn. We aren't meant to find our place but to follow the path that leads us to Heaven. We aren't meant to discover ourselves but to discover more and more about who He is.

A personality can't be fully understood anymore than God can. And even if it could, why should we desire to?

I believe instead of wasting our energy on "who am I?" we should be devoting our time on "how can I be more like God?"

Instead of stressing over "what should I do with my life?" we should be living the life we have now fully.

Instead of worrying about "what I should do?" we could be spending our time actually doing things and building better habits and Godly-characters.

The problem with the identity crisis is it's asking all the wrong questions. Introspection is good only when it doesn't keep us from living a full life of action.

We throw away half of our lives worrying about which job or which car or which thing or person best suits our personalities instead of simply buckling down and doing something, anything of value.

Choices can be paralyzing. But they don't have to be. If you have two equally good choices don't stress over them. Pray, then pick. But don't take too long at it. Because God gave us time to use not squander. Our lives our an investment, so make that investment pay.

It's not about us. We need to step away from ourselves and just live.

Identity should become an obsolete thing, because it helps no one.

It was when I stopped asking "who am I and what do I want to do with my life?" and when I actually started enjoying my life by living it and loving it that I became the most content. Not because I found myself or some magic career that suited me, but because I realized I no longer cared.

Let the world worry about who they were, it no longer matters to me, because I have so many other things to devote my time toward.

I have chosen to live rather than to question my life.

I have chosen to let myself become better rather than to search out who I am.

I have chosen to become like those I admire rather than to strive at becoming my own person.

And by forgetting myself I have become the most confident me possible.

It's hard to forget the question of identity when it surrounds you on every side. But it's so worth it, guys. Just forget and aspire toward a Godly example and put effort behind that aspiration with daily and weekly and monthly goals. 

Be better, don't put yourself in a box.

I'd love to hear your thoughts on this and how your own identity journey is coming along?