I have been spending some time thinking of all the titles I hold, some by choice, some not. I have been thinking of what each one means, what responsibilities and joys they hold. I am a wife, a mother, a daughter, a sister, a daughter in law, a sister in law. I am a cousin and a niece. An aunt. I used to be a granddaughter, but all of my grandparents have passed away. I am a friend. I have been a student many years of my life. A teacher. A congregant. I have been a sales rep. I am often times a customer and/or patron.
The question is, is my identity found in any of these? My self worth or value? Some of these titles give me the most joy on this earth I'll ever feel. But if I put all my value on being a wife, and my husband and I argue, does that make me less valuable? If I put all all my value on being a mother, and my children get angry at me, or are disobedient, does that make me less valuable? Or if I lose my temper with my children? Even worse, if someone ends up divorced or estranged from their children, does that change their worth? If someone has a falling out with their parents or siblings, are they less valuable as a person? Or what if they don't know their parents? What if they were abandoned? If I am selling, and I have a "bad sales day" to quote Miss Hattie from Despicable Me, am I all of a sudden the worst salesperson on the planet? The worst person on the planet? Some of us put a LOT of value on being a customer/patron=CONSUMER. If I have this, if I spend that....then I matter.
None of these things are bad in and of themselves. But if I place my value as a human being on those things, at some point, my value is going to come into question.
What about my relationship with God? If I am a great Christian, and pray and read my Bible every day and never sin or act un-Christian like, am I more worthy of His love? The answer is a resounding NO. If my relationship with God depends on what I can do for Him, boy am I in trouble. My right standing with Him has nothing to do with me, and everything to do with Him. He gives my value. I have value in Him. He loves me, that makes me valuable. There is nothing I can ever do to be less in His eyes. Nothing He can ever do to put Himself in a position to love me less.
So, this is an important question. Who or what are you allowing to give you your identity?
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