WHO I AM

A couple years ago I made a list of high quality character traits that I wanted my family to live by.  We put this list on a cupboard in the kitchen and I would read a line and they would repeat after me.  Cultivating these character traits help shape our identity, perspective and actions.  They become our guidelines for the various situations and circumstances in life.

Proverbs say, “Train a child in the way they should go and they will not depart from it.”   It says “train a child”. To train means – To prepare and make ready through consistent and patient effort; to make proficient; to learn a practical skill or type of behavior through practice and instruction over a period of time.

In able to train, you first need a pattern to employ.  Then you need to cultivate that pattern with repetition and consistency over time. It’s that cultivation that shapes and develops your behavior, character and identity.  This is how you intentionally create your default attitude.  So that means that we want to take the truth of who we are and read it, memorize it, chew on it, until the truth becomes our reality.

This is the list from the, “Who I Am” paper: I am loved, I am strong, I am confident, I am a leader, I am a conqueror, I am patient, I am always ready for action, I am always happy, I am kind, I am encouraging, I am honest, I am powerful, I am brave, I am made in the image of God and will prove it with my life.

In this season of getting reconnected to our call and to who we are, I found the Who I Am paper on my computer and printed it out.  I took the first line and asked myself, “What does it mean to be loved?”.  Then I asked my wife that same question.  Then I asked our BT group and we all came back with a similar answer.  I am loved has to do with your identity, your self concept and self esteem.  Everybody was saying that I am loved is unconditional acceptance.  Which is to say, “I belong” and that reality isn’t based on an ever changing emotion. But it is a concrete truth that does not change.  When I was thinking about this line, for me it spoke of the validation of my existence. I belong here and nobody else gets a vote.

When the source of your existence is rooted and founded on the truth and reality that I am loved, then your self concept is correct and strong and confident. Your self esteem is high because you can see the value you have to give to the world. When your Identity flows from this reality you are able to stand independent for others opinions.  When who you are is rooted in where you came from then your perspective of life is shaped by the manufacturer’s expectations of your existence.  And I tell you the truth, there is a great expectation over your life.  There are things God is anticipating for you to create. He is looking for you to cultivate and influence function.  I think sometimes we are here waiting for God to do something, and what we don’t understand is that he has been waiting for us to get to work.

We can not afford to think about ourselves contrary to the way God sees us.  We can not afford to perceive this life contrary to the way God sees it.  We must train the way we think about who we are, who God is and what this life is about, in accordance with the truth.  That takes deliberate effort.  You must have a defined pattern that you are going to employ and cultivate with consistency and repetition over time.  Print out the, “Who I am” paper.  Read it, chew on it, consider each line.  Reference this list throughout your day.  When you find yourself in a situation and you are not sure how to respond, consult the list.  Shape your behavior, base your decisions off this list.  Do not leave this life to chance, deliberately cultivate it on purpose.