Who Do You Say I Am?

by Sarah Van Diest 
@SarahVanDiest

That question is simple, but incredibly complex, yes? You can answer with your name, your occupation, your position in a family or in society, etc. Some will answer with their sexual orientation. And we may all answer that question differently depending on who is asking and what the context is, but just because we offer different answers at different times or to different people doesn’t mean our identity changes, does it?

I am on the verge of getting my hair cut. By the time you read this, it will be drastically shorter. I know, that’s not a big deal, it’s just hair after all, but it has brought me to some serious thinking.

First, for those of you who know me or have read my bio, you know that I cut my hair when I am overwhelmed by stress, when PTSD factors runneth over. It’s not a great coping strategy, but it is a relatively harmless one. I am presently experiencing a great amount of stress, and yes, the haircut is related, but at least this time I’ve made an appointment with a professional instead of picking up the scissors and hacking it off myself. So, it’s premediated hacking. Ha!

Second, I’ve begun to understand how much of my identity I’ve put in my hair. Crazy, right? But this paradigm of thinking isn’t based on thin air, it’s based on years and years of subconscious data collecting as I’ve lived among people in society. I have had long, flowing, blond hair that aided in my escape from an overcrowded bus in the heart of China, and I’ve had short, boyish hair that I cut myself. The difference in how I was treated at times was noticeable. Some of it was likely only my perception, but some of it was real. And this leads me to the thought I’d like to consider today:

Who are we and how much of who we are is shaped by how others treat us?

It is impossible for us to live outside of the perceptions of others, unless we choose to fully isolate ourselves and live as hermits. Even then, there will be perceptions and we will likely know at least some of them. We are stuck living where the way others view us in part determines how our lives flow, but what does that mean for us? How are we to be who we are? And how are we to know who we are if others are defining us by their perceptions?

Our position in society is a temporal thing. Throughout our lives we will likely change roles many times. So in a sense, our identity is fluid. We may stay in some roles longer than others, but we cannot always stay a child, or a college student, or an author, or a wife, etc. We age. Life circumstances change. Our answer to “who are you?” isn’t a constant. How are we to base a life on such an unstable thing?

In Matthew 16, when Jesus asked the disciples who others said He was, they gave a few answers, “Some say John the Baptist; and others, Elijah; but still others, Jeremiah, or one of the prophets.” And then Jesus asked the disciples who they thought He was, “’But who do you say that I am?’ Simon Peter answered, ‘You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.’”

I love the way Jesus responds, “Blessed are you, Simon Barjona, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but My Father who is in heaven.” I love this because it was not flesh and blood that made up His identity or revealed His identity, but the Father in heaven. It was nothing about Jesus’ appearance or stature in society that made Him who He was. His was not a fluid identity, but permanent and perpetual.

Our true identity is like that of Jesus, permanent and perpetual. Ours is proclaimed by the Father, not by our place in time or our role in life; our identity is revealed by the Father and nothing of flesh and blood can uncover it for us or determine it.

Ephesians 2:10 says, “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” There are things for us to do, yes, but those things are not our identity. Who are we? First and foremost, we are “His”. Then we are His “workmanship.” Then, “created….” You get the idea.

Soon my hair will be a lot shorter than it is now. Does that mean I will have a new identity? Some may treat me differently, but their treatment of me is not the determining factor of who I am. My identity is set in Christ.

Think on these words from scripture today, they are who the Father says we are:

• Loved
• Fearfully and wonderfully made
• Image Bearer
• Workmanship
• Crowned with Glory and Majesty
• Equal
• Beautiful
• Heir of Grace and Life
• Friend
• Gift
• Valuable
• Imperishable inner Beauty
• Flawless

Walk in who you are today.

(Thank you, Curtis Tucker, for this list.)

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Educated as a teacher, Sarah taught school for nearly 20 years. As a young woman, she lived in China amid the rice paddies and water buffalo near Changsha, and then later taught English in Costa Rica for four years and raised her two sons. 

Sarah is married for the second time, the mother of 2 boys and the step-mother to 3 more. She and her husband, David, work together in their agency The Van Diest Literary Agency. Her full name is Sarah Ruth Gerke Van Diest. She’s 5’5” and cuts her hair when stress overtakes her. 

She is a freelance editor (including a New York Times and USA Today bestseller), blogger (The Write Conversation) and writer for hire. Her first book releases with NavPress in 2018. 

http://christianliteraryagency.com/

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https://twitter.com/SarahVanDiest