Who Am I?

One of the biggest questions people face is: Who am I? This is a loaded question. One that I don’t believe people think about long enough. This is not simply about race, gender, or occupation. It’s about each person’s unique character and personality. It’s about what you stand for and what you’re made of. It’s about your strengths and weaknesses, along with your skills, talents, background, and experiences. It’s about what makes you…YOU. And, most importantly, it’s about Whose image you bear. So, take a moment and ask yourself: Who Am I?  

Unique

As I mentioned above, you and I are unique. Not a single person in the world is identical, inside or out, to another human being (not even identical twins). This is a very good thing. Who would want everyone to be exactly the same anyway? That would make life pretty boring and predictable.

So, where do we get our uniqueness? In Psalm 139:13-16 (ESV), speaking about God, David wrote: “For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well. My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them.” You and I are “fearfully and wonderfully made”. God crafted, sculpted, molded, and shaped each one of us uniquely in our mother’s womb.

Our uniqueness not only makes us different from each other, but also sets us apart from every other living thing on earth. Why? Because God made us in His image. Genesis 1:26-27 (ESV): “Then God said, ‘Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.’ So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.”

We are set apart from all of creation because God made us in His image. We bear the image of the Almighty, Immutable, Infinite, Eternal, Omnipotent, Omniscient, Sovereign, Holy God. We have a special place and purpose in the created universe. But I want to be clear, this does not make us gods. We simply resemble or reflect God’s image, but do not possess all the same attributes or character qualities as God. There is no other being like God and there never will be.   

Valued & Loved

What comes with our uniqueness as image bearers? Value and love. Because God made us, He knows us. Therefore, He values and loves us. He took the time to plan, form, and create each one of us. He lovingly gave us our unique identity and purpose. God made us all for a specific reason and a special purpose. And He placed an equal value on us by making us in His own image.

Isn’t it wonderful to be loved and valued? I know I appreciate when my family or friends display their love for me through their words and actions. It makes me feel like I’m worth something. That’s what God does by making us in His image. He made us and knows us, therefore He loves us. And He made us in His image, therefore He values us.        

Not A Statistic

Hopefully reading this far in the article has made you feel loved and valued. I want you to know that your identity goes far beyond what the media, politicians, and your favorite TV shows or movies are telling you today. Who you are is more than the color of your skin, your gender, your job, your social status, and your financial situation. You are fearfully and wonderfully made in the image of God. You are unique. You are valued and loved. You are (enter your name) because God knew you even before the universe was made. 

With that said, stop trying to identify with all the statistics the world feeds us. The media tries to clump people in different groups because of similarities or differences observed, and attempt to form one identity for each group. These are false identities. Statistics develop stereotypes, biases, and prejudices. They cause division, chaos, judgment, and hate. They attempt to build a standard for all peoples, but only breed jealousy, judgment, laziness, rivalry, anger, and pride. Statistics may be helpful for marketing purposes, but they are harmful to relationships.

YOU ARE NOT A STATISTIC! Statistics do not define your identity. Only God gives you your identity.   

Free

When we accept the identity God gave us, we are free to be who we were made to be. We are free from trying so hard to make our own identity or worth (i.e., in our job, our material possessions, our wealth, our relationships, etc.). We are free from the image we strive to imitate in popular figures (i.e., super models, athletes, actors, politicians, etc.). We are free from the identities that are placed on us from the world (i.e., statistics). We don’t have to perform or masquerade for love and value; or search for our identity in the world. We can rest in God and who He made us to be.   

We can know and understand this freedom because God loves and values us enough that He sent His one and only Son, Jesus Christ, to sacrifice Himself on the cross for our sins. And after three days, God raised His Son from the grave, defeating sin and death for us all so that we could have a relationship with Him forever. Do you think God would’ve done this if He didn’t love and value us? I don’t think so.

With this freedom, go out in the world with confidence in knowing who you are and with an understanding that you are loved and valued because God made you and gave you His image.    

Take a moment to pray with me:

Lord God, You are the Sovereign, Eternal, and Infinite Creator. You made all things (visible and invisible) and gave each thing an identity and a purpose. Thank You for creating men and women, and for giving us life. Thank You for creating us in Your image and making us unique. When we make our own identity or take on the identities of the world, we become nothing but statistics or numbers. But, because You made us in Your image, we have value and worth. We are loved. We thank You for proving Your love through Your Son, Jesus Christ, and the work He did on the cross and in His resurrection. We thank You for making a way for us to have a relationship with You and experience Your love for eternity. Lord, help us to daily pursue a relationship with You so we can love others like You love us. Give us eyes to see all people as You do, as Your image bearers. And help us to bear Your image well. In Your holy and precious name, Amen.

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