I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine.
ISAIAH 43:1
It was my mother’s seventieth birthday party. Within a span of hours, I was characterized by different people in a variety of ways. To one, I was my mom’s only daughter; to another I was Nick’s wife; to another, I was Catherine and Sophia’s mom; to another, I was George’s sister; and to my niece, I was “the cool aunt who buys all the great presents.” Some old friends considered me the “weird one” who had “got religion,” and conversely, friends from church thought I was a great Bible teacher and author.
While it’s true that the way each of the partygoers identified me is a legitimate aspect of the various roles I fulfill in life, none of these roles is who I really am. People often identify us based on what we do (the role we play) rather than who we are.
The only way I’m able to “morph” from role to role and not end up mixing them all up is to make sure I have a constant awareness of who I really am, aside from all the different things I do. If I allow myself to be defined by my roles instead of allowing who I truly am in Christ to define my roles, I’m going to get all messed up.
No one role completely defines us. In other words: Who you are is not determined by what you do, that is, your do is not your who! Add to this the fact that if we try to get our identity, significance, and security from the roles we play, ultimately our lives become focused upon mere functionality and doing more, rather than something deeper. This will likely lead to feelings of frustration, dissatisfaction, and emptiness.
So the question we need to ask ourselves is: When no one is calling us mommy, wife, sister, mentor, boss, or friend, who’s left?
MOMENT OF REFLECTION
When all your roles are stripped away, do you still feel valued and confident on the inside?