Saturday, December 20, 2008

Who am I?


This is a question many philosophers and people in general have grappled with for centuries. As we grow up, many of us struggle to find our true identity. Sometimes, when I see all my flaws so clearly, and I'm tempted to throw my hands up and say, "Well I am who I am." But then I know that's a cop-out. With God's grace and my willingness, I am able to change....thankfully. And there are times when we change and wish we hadn't. Like, growing older and losing abilities that we used to enjoy. Or sometimes our feelings towards people can change. Often we lose interest in something that used to captivate us before. One thing that seems definite for us human beings is change. Perhaps that is why this question is never fully answered. We can't just say, "I am who I am".



As I thought about this today, I thought about how only God can truly say that about Himself. God calls himself the "I AM" or the "I AM THAT I AM" He requires none else and He still is. His existence is not a question. It may be a question for the puny minds of some of us, but it's not in reality. And most encouraging....He doesn't change. He has created us and desired a personal relationship with us since the beginning. We may change. We may flounder and flip and flop in our relationship with him. Sometimes we're hot and sometimes cold or luke warm. But he remains faithful.

For me, once I have acknowledged my many shortcomings and downright failures, and realized that He remains true to His promise to me and that He still is who He is (despite the fact that I am ever changing), it is then that I have come to appreciate and love Him more. To love the great "I AM".