Who Am I?

The whole Facebook thing has caused me to do a bit of “soul searching.” As I look down the list of my friends, seeing the tiny little icons that represent them, it causes me to wonder. Who are these folks really? Do these pictures represent who they truly are, who they wish to be, just one side of a multi-sided personality, etc.? And then the question comes back: who am I?

I have had several pictures on my “profile.” What is it I’m trying to say about myself with these? As I think back through some pictures of myself over the years, which of these is a true reflection of who I truly am?

Is it the “pastorly” me?

Or the family me?
Or the crazy me?
The NASCAR freak?
The big bad hunter? (Ha!)

We have all these pictures of ourselves out there. We use some of them on Facebook and other things as our “identity.” Again, what is the motive, what are we trying to show people, what are we trying to say about who we are?

Maybe it’s just the end of the year reflection stuff causing me to take these profile pics way too seriously, read way too much into it all. Or maybe God is truly working in me to cause me to have a genuine concern about the image I portray to others.

Maybe it’s because I’m reminded that image we are to be portraying is not an image of ourselves at all. Romans 8:29 says, “For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.” (emphasis mine)

Our goal is not to reflect the various sides of our own personality, though certainly God has given us those. We are not to be about the business of trying to fit some image of ourselves that we think others will like, etc. Our goal, our desire is to reflect Christ. So that others will see our good works and glorify our Father in Heaven (Matt. 5:16).

So the answer to the question “who am I?” really has less to do with me, and more to do with Christ. I am a sinner saved by grace. I am a new creation in Christ. I am a child of the King. The list from Scripture goes on and on. (all quotes are ESV)

Rom. 8: 37 - We are more than conquerors through him who loved us.

1 Cor. 3:9 - For we are God's fellow workers. You are God's field, God's building.

1 Cor. 4:10 - We are fools for Christ's sake.

2 Cor. 2:15 - For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing.

2 Cor. 5:20 - Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us.

2 Cor. 6:16 - What agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God.

Eph. 2:10 - For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

We are members of His body and members of one another. (Eph. 4:25; 5:30)

You get the idea. Here’s hoping that in the coming year, we find our identity in Christ; that we live in such a way that others see Him in us; and that like John the Baptist, our chief desire is that He increases and we decrease. Because in the end, I only want to hear one means of identifying who I am. I just want to hear my Father say: "Well done, my good and faithful servant."