“I opened two gifts this morning. They were my eyes.”

Zig Ziglar

The ability to see is a gift that we often take for granted.  This time of year it is such a joy to see all of the new growth and life that is happening in our world.  Just take a moment and think about all that we use our eyes for and all that it means to us.  The face of a loved one, the path that we travel, or the beauty of our world.  Now some of you may say that this view is colored by “rose-tinted glasses” because what I see is the pain and misery of people and the weeds that grow alongside the roadway.  How is it that two people looking at the same sight can “see” two different things?  The fact is that our eyes are more than just image collectors.  What our eyes behold is colored by what the mind and spirit are focused upon as well as the collective experiences we’ve had.  Wouldn’t it be great to actually possess a pair of glasses that really did help improve our view?  Unfortunately, we are responsible for doing the heavy lifting when it comes to our view and the best remedy for a sour outlook is to use our eyes to read what the Lord has told us. 

²² “The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light, ²³ but if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness! “

Matthew 6:22 (ESV)

In this passage Jesus is speaking to the crowds about Christian living, starting with the Beatitudes in Matthew 5 and continuing through chapter 7 talking about the Godly wisdom of how to seek the Lord, treat others and to build a firm foundation.  It was important enough for Jesus to tell the people how to use their eyes back before the time of social media and the multiple temptations of today’s world.  How much more important is it for us then to be mindful of our view?  Jesus knew people.  He was fully aware of the nature of how a person’s eyes can influence his mind. 

“All the ways of a man are pure in his own eyes, but the Lord weighs the spirit.”

Proverbs 16:2 (ESV)

So today, be mindful of the two gifts that you open every morning – your eyes.

“The eyes of the Lord are in every place, keeping watch on the evil and the good.”

Proverbs 15:3 (ESV)

How many of us are already exhausted in trying to create the perfect Christmas for our families?  We have our checklists of things to do starting the day after Halloween for some us.  Lights on the house, pictures for the Christmas card, baking, gifts and on the list goes until we can’t wait until December 26^th.  Wait, what?  Yes, folks, the day after Christmas when it is all over and only 364 days until it happens again.  When are we going to stop and smell the Christmas cookies?  As a victim of the Griswold flu, I have spent countless hours worrying and stressing about how to make sure my family had the perfect Christmas.  I am convinced that we have succumbed to our sardonic sense of humor in an attempt to evade the scenes from Clark Griswold’s “perfect Christmas” by adhering to the popular white elephant gift and ugly Christmas sweater that have come to be popular traditions this time of year. 

We have been told that it is better to give than to receive (Acts 20:35), unless in the giving you get so lost in the pursuit of giving the perfect gift that it steals the joy out of the giving.  There was ever only one perfect gift given to us on that long ago night in the town of Bethlehem in a less than perfect setting and less than perfect situation.  

“⁴And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, ⁵ to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. ⁶ And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. ⁷ And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.”

Luke 2:4-7 (ESV)

Why do we think that we get to earn the title of the perfect gift giver when that title has already been taken?  If perfection were attainable then we would have no need of a savior.  Many a holiday has been ruined when it has not lived up to our idea of the perfect setting.  When we let go of our aspirations of perfection and learn to enjoy the reality of what is maybe we can relax and realize that perfection is best left to our creator who has already created the perfect gift – Jesus.

“No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us.”

1 John 4:12 (ESV)

Don’t you wish sometimes that you could just shut out the noise around you?  The noise in our world right now is deafening and it wages war on our sanity.  We are being constantly bombarded with opposing views on everything from masks to political views to the way we choose to educate our children.  Everything is up for discussion and every voice demands to be heard.  The swirling opposition can be compared to the all too familiar hurricane force winds that we have witnessed wreaking havoc along our coastlines.  The push and the pull of the voices around us along with the pressure of having to remain isolated, separated and distanced from one another is enough to create the perfect storm in the landscape of our lives.  We cry out for peace, we pray for a resolution and still the chaos remains.  The voice of the disciples echoes in my ear –

“… ‘Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?’” 

Mark 4:38 (ESV)

I think that when we reflect on the event of Jesus calming the storm in Mark 4 we focus on the Lord’s power over the elements, and rightly so.  However, we can’t forget the fact that Jesus was on the boat sleeping.  In the midst of a storm strong enough to fill the boat with water, our Savior was asleep.

^“And a great windstorm arose, and the waves were breaking into the boat, so that the boat was already filling.  But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion…” 

Mark 4:37-38 (ESV)

There is no doubt that Jesus knew the storm was occurring and yet he slept.  He could have prevented the storm from coming, he could have stopped it once the boat began taking on water, but he didn’t.  He slept.  The disciples, full of fear, woke Jesus, and he immediately calmed the storm but turned to them and asked why they lacked faith.

^“He said to them, ‘Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith?’” 

Mark 4:40 (ESV)

We are such a visual people.  We yearn for objective facts as proof of our faith.  We want signs and reassurances that what we believe is not in vain.  Sometimes I wonder if I wouldn’t be just like the disciples who had Jesus with them there in the flesh but were still afraid.  Their plea was not exactly kind – Lord don’t you care?  Of course he cared, but his desire for them is the same desire he has for us – to develop a faith that believes in him and knows that he will carry us through the storm. 

Jesus is the same, stable, never changing presence (Hebrews 13:8) who possesses the peace that passes understanding (Philippians 4:7) when the storms and chaos of our world surround us.  When we seek him, the winds and the waves that threaten to pull us under will retreat as we focus on the creator who knows the number of hairs on our head and the amount of burdens on our hearts. 

^“Why, even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not; you are of more value than many sparrows.”

Luke 12:7 (ESV)

As I make my way back to the office to prepare for my students this fall, I reflect on the mothers and fathers that are preparing their children for the next chapter in life.  Getting ready to push another one, or maybe the first one, out of the nest in pursuit of a successful, independent future.  Well, at least a future that ensures they will not be living at home for the next twenty years, let’s be realistic.  We expect that our children will attain a higher level of knowledge that leads them to success and happiness.  As I think about this another thought enters my mind – as we prepare our children for the future, do we pray for their attainment of wisdom also?  You know, the wisdom that says, call your mom once a week and not just when you need money… Or wisdom that exceeds the capacity of both Siri and Google?  Have you considered the difference between knowledge and wisdom?  If you have ever known a smart person with no common sense, then you know what I mean.  We’ve all been there a time or ten in our lives I’m sure.  Knowing the facts does not mean that you will put the pieces together in the right way.  Knowledge alone falls short without wisdom to prop it up.  The words of Proverbs chapter 8 give a rich description of the embodied face and character of wisdom.  It is something that dwelt with the Lord as He created the world and something that he desires for us to also have.

“²²The Lord possessed me at the beginning
of his work,
the first of his acts of old.
²³Ages ago I was set up,
at the first, before the beginning of the
earth.”

Proverbs 8:22-23 (ESV)

Proverbs 9:10 tells us that, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom…” (ESV) This priceless quality is available to those who seek Him.  In Colossians, Paul separates wisdom from knowledge and points us to Christ to find wisdom –

“² that their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, to reach all the riches of full assurance of understanding and the knowledge of God’s mystery, which is Christ, ³ in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.”

Colossians 2:2-3 (ESV)

No amount of learning or degree attainment can match the wisdom found in Christ.  Wisdom is not simply knowledge, but instead it is knowledge applied to discretion. It is at the intersection of understanding that knowledge and wisdom come together to lead us into discernment.

“I wisdom, dwell with prudence, and I find knowledge and discretion.”

Proverbs 8:12 (ESV) 

Wisdom leads us to seek knowledge and guides us in our use of it.  It is expressed through our words and actions.

“Who is wise and understanding among you? By his good conduct let him show his works in the meekness of wisdom.”

James 3:13 (ESV)

The wisdom found in Christ is not high and mighty, separating one from another.  Instead, it is a quality that seeks to unify and love.

“But the wisdom from above if first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere.”

James 3:17 (ESV)

So as we prepare for the start of another school year, I pray that I will not only impart knowledge to my students, but help them to find wisdom as well.

“Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise.”

Ephesians 5:15 (ESV)

Four words that hold the power of belonging.  As children in the lunchroom yearn to hear these words, the sentiment travels with us through time.  To belong.  We have all, at one time in our lives, been the one on the outside looking in.  Desiring to be included.  Yearning to hear those words – come sit with us.  The emotion invoked by a simple invitation has the power to restore hope and strengthen relationships.  There is within each person a strong desire to belong in the “us”.  For belonging brings with it the privilege of love and friendship.  We desire to belong in our social circle, our professional group and of course our families.  A place to land and be understood.  God created us to be social beings by the fact that he sought to find Adam a mate in the garden. Whether or not we want to admit it, the desire to be gathered together with people who accept us and love us brings us joy. 

Consider these words individually –

Together these words collecively evoke an image of togetherness and oneness. Our words have the potential to impact those around us.  It is through the use of language that others come to know us, and the messages we create with our words can change lives.  Come sit with me.  Come be part of the “us”.  Four simple words that often go unsaid as we move about our busy lives in a hurry to get to the next place. 

When I think back through the events of Jesus’ life, he never seemed to be in a hurry.  From the time he was twelve and spent three days at the temple (Luke 2:46) to the feeding of the five thousand at a time when he was trying to find some down time but instead, had compassion on the people, healed and fed them (Matthew 14:13-21).  He understood the power of his words and the need for each of us to feel connected.  His name alone means “God with us” – a coming together, a promise of inclusion and belonging.

“Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel” (which means, God with us).

Matthew 1:23 (ESV)

Jesus waits for us to come sit with Him as well.  He has extended the invitation. 

“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”

Matthew 11:28 (ESV)

He is saying – Come sit with me, let me take your burden, let me carry your load, and he patiently waits for us to put it down. Take the time to sit and be joined in the “us” with Jesus who is the founder and perfecter of faith.

“looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.”

Hebrews 12:2 (ESV)

The following post is a little different from my typical postings. I am like many of you – amazed and confused at all the change that is taking place in our world right now. While I understand it from a healthcare point of view, I still struggle to accept it. And I can’t keep from comparing it to how Satan works in our lives as well – the invisible enemy. In the following post the “invisible enemy” represents our current physical state, but it could just as well represent our spiritual state. During this time we are given the gift of time and space to slow down and reprioritize. I pray that we remember to keep our eyes focused on the one who is in control as we struggle to regain and reshape a new normal.

“And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

Philippians 4:7 (ESV)

In control of nothing.  This is the thought that runs through my head as I’ve washed my hands for the umpteenth time now.  We went from washing our hands to washing our groceries and everything in between in the span of a moment.  Our world has changed at warp speed, and it seems that every day brings another version of normal.  In the midst of the chaos, I paused for a moment in the realization that we are at the mercy of an invisible invader.  For decades we have built up our military and taken steps to protect ourselves from an enemy we assumed would take human form.  While we were watching for the enemy to approach, it slipped right through our fingers and invaded our world unseen.  This invisible enemy has consumed our airwaves, our economy, and our freedoms.  It has created such a sense of unease that people have abandoned rational logic and been pushed to hoarding goods in the name of safety and security.  This invisible enemy has crossed borders and traversed oceans to get to us.  Who could have imagined that this enemy possessed the power to clear arenas of fans, prevent families from gathering or celebrations from taking place.  It has lowered the mighty and elevated the humble of our society.  Our heroes have become the healthcare workers, truck drivers and janitors of the world.  The spotlight has been shown on the importance of teachers and brought to light just how much effort goes into every bit of learning a child receives.  We curse the enemy for the loss of life.  We struggle to understand the loss of income to this unseen but largely present enemy.  We just didn’t see it coming.  So now we seek to walk in this new normal.  A new way of being since the reset button was pushed.  What will our world look like once the enemy recedes?  Will we continue to aimlessly wash our hands every two minutes and hesitate to shake hands or give hugs when we emerge from our homes?  This invisible enemy has exuded its power to alter our typical behaviors and strong-armed us into confinement, but we cannot let it seep into our souls.  For this is the place where hope lives.  Hope is our greatest asset with which to beat down this enemy.   It is the fuel to the fire within us that reminds us to never give up.  To never stop smiling.  To never stop persisting in our efforts to not only survive, but to thrive.  Thrive where we stand next to our families, our friends and neighbors.  This invisible enemy has stopped us in our tracks, but may it not stop us in our journey.  History will take note of this invisible enemy and our response to it.  One day our grandchildren will listen to our stories of the invisible enemy.  I pray when that time comes the theme of our story will not be about the invader, but rather, the resiliency of a people who triumphed in the face of adversity.  Through isolation, illness and death may our story tell of our fight and how we came out on the other side a better people, a more resilient people.  A people united to do better and be better.  There is no doubt that this invisible enemy will refine us into a changed people.  Only the future knows the answer of what today will bring.  So as you sit on your couches in your homes among the chaos of this pervasive enemy, know that you are doing your part to win the war.  You are entrusting yourself to the hope of a better tomorrow.  A tomorrow that believes in the hope of today.

Faithfully yours,

A Nurse

We have looked at how we see ourselves, how God sees us and how aligning our identity can connect us to action.  Now I want to leave you with three simple steps for maintaining a healthy self-identity.  Pray, reflect and take action. 

Pray that the person you strive to be is reflective of God’s nature. To reflect God, you must know God. This can only happen through studying His word and talking to Him through prayer.

We take our cue from Jesus here.  He and God are one, yet he needed to take the time to stop and pray.  He prayed on the mountain all through the night prior to selecting the twelve disciples in Luke 6.  He prayed after feeding the five thousand in Matthew 14, and he prayed in Gethsemane in Matthew 26 before going to the cross.

The disciples asked Jesus to teach them to pray.  Of all the things they witnessed and could have asked of him, this was what they wanted to know in Luke 11:1. 

Reflect on who you are.  Take time to sit and think about how you think of yourself.  I know that for some of us, finding five minutes of quiet time can be challenging, but it is well worth it.  Think about how you describe yourself.  Do you like the words that you have chosen?  The answer may be a resounding yes!  Or it may be an “I’m not sure” or “not really”.  The wonderful thing about that is that we can change our narrative if we find that it’s not exactly where it should be, or if it’s not aligned with the person God desires you to be.

You may be wondering what this process of reflection looks like.  For me it looked different at each stage of my life.  I can tell you that there wasn’t a lot of reflection in my 20’s.  I was in a hurry-up and get life going mode – marriage, kids, work – hurry, hurry, hurry.  Looking back some of the decisions I made could have benefited from some reflection.  As my kids got older, things only seemed to get busier, but it was during this time that I realized how beneficial setting a priority for this time could be.  So, in my car on the way to work or in the shower was about as good as it got for my personal reflection time.  Through the years I have learned to find a corner in my house that is uniquely mine.  My girls know it as my reading chair.  It is the place where I retreat to when I want to think, process and reflect.  I usually have a journal and my Bible with me because for me, prayer and reflection go hand in hand. 

Paul instructs the Corinthians to “examine themselves” in II Corinthians 13:5.

“Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith…”

We read in Psalm that the stillness of a moment can allow for the knowledge of God to come through.

“Be still and know that I am God…”

Psalm 46:10

So don’t feel guilty or self-indulgent for taking some time for yourself.  The act of reflection is preparation for your daily walk with God.

Take Action.  This final step of taking action should be a natural result of prayer and reflection.  It is an outward showing of your inner thoughts that are centered on Christ.  Taking action may sound intimidating, but really it’s all about finding out how to serve the Lord in your own unique way. Your action doesn’t have to be a grand production.  Sometimes just showing up and encouraging those around you with a positive attitude and a smile may be what the person sitting next to you needs.  Each of us has talents that are uniquely our own.  They are not meant to be compared, but to share.

You may be a wonderful encourager, or maybe hospitality is your specialty.  Each of us have a unique way of taking action for the Lord, and that’s why we are called the body of Christ.  Together, as a collective group, we show Christ to our community, to our families, and to our friends.  My goal with this series of lessons was to ultimately encourage you to realize your potential in Christ.  To take courage and step out in faith.  I believe that the following verse says it best:

“And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”

Colossians 3:17 (ESV)

It is important to see ourselves clearly because this connects us to what we believe we are capable of.  If we believe ourselves to be powerless, hopeless and lost then our actions will reflect that.  On the opposite side of that coin, if we see ourselves as loved, as conquerors and as children of God, it should spur us on to good works.

Jesus used the parable of the talents to explain the concept of using our talents for His glory.  Not as a works equal salvation idea, but as a desire to show our love for Him and be ambassadors for Him so that others may know Him.  Sometimes I think that we fail to use our talents to their fullest potential out of fear.  What will others think?  Will I fail to do what I set out to do?  If fear is holding you back, then Satan is winning.

God speaks to our fear in both the Old and the New Testament:

“Be strong and courageous.  Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the Lord your God who goes with you.  He will not leave you or forsake you.”

Deuteronomy 31:6 (ESV)

“for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.”

II Timothy 1:7 (ESV)

Fear can prevent the ordinary from being extraordinary.   Just consider how God used Esther to save her people.  Her story has become the mantra of many:

 “…. And who knows whether you have not come to the kingdom for such a time as this?”

Esther 4:14

We are only given the present in which to take action.  We do not always get to see the full picture of the when, where, why and what for.  Our job is to keep our eyes focused on Jesus and to keep moving forward.

A person in the Bible that exemplifies this principle is Joseph. His story is one of resiliency in the face of repetitive and insurmountable challenges, yet he remained faithful to God in all that he did.  This is amazing to me because there is no recording of God ever speaking directly to him as he did to others in the Old Testament. Keeping this in mind, consider what kind of self-identity Joseph had to have to allow him to persist in doing God’s will. 

He came from what we would call a dysfunctional family.  His brothers hated him to the point of wanting to kill him.  While we get the bird’s eye view of his story, Joseph’s viewpoint was front and center stage, only able to see the present situation. 

When I think about his life, I would sum it up with the three “P’s” – the pit, Potiphar’s house, and prison.  The first “P” came when his brothers conspired to kill him but instead threw him into a deep pit.  (Thank goodness for Reuben or the story would have been over already!)  Sitting in the bottom of a pit would have been enough for me to throw my hands up and give up.  Forget the physical condition of the pit, I don’t think that I could have gotten past the fact that my brothers threw me in there! A betrayal by people who you may disagree with but ultimately trust with your well-being has got to be a betrayal of the worst kind.  Have you ever been in that kind of metaphorical “pit”?  A pit created by circumstances outside of your control and maybe by people you expected to care for you? That can definitely have an impact on your self-identity.

Flash forward to the next “P” in Joseph’s life – Potiphar’s house.  Joseph is taken out of the pit and sold into Potiphar’s house.  It is in these verses that we begin to see the phrase “The Lord was with Joseph”.  It’s like a red flag that says, “look, the Lord is getting ready to do something amazing!” 

In Potiphar’s house, Joseph rose to a prominent position to the point that the Bible tells us that Potiphar worried about nothing except the food he ate.  That was until Potiphar’s wife decided she wanted Joseph.  Joseph responds to her that he cannot sin against God.  It is this statement that reveals to us that Joseph has maintained his self-identity as a child of God through his adversities up to this point.

Have you ever found yourself in a relationship that beckoned you away from God?  Some relationships can be minimized or avoided, while others may be lifetime commitments.  In either instance, we can take our cue from Joseph and realize that seeing ourselves as God’s child is an essential guide for our actions.

The final “P” in Joseph’s life stands for prison.  We soon discover that just because the Lord was with Joseph he was not shielded from adversity.  As a result of resisting Potiphar’s wife and fleeing, Joseph is falsely accused by Potiphar and thrown in prison.  It is in this part of his life that I would have thought his self-identity should have taken a nosedive.  He’s in prison for two years and in chapter 40 verse 15 we get a glimpse of his reality –

“For I was indeed stolen out of the land of the Hebrews, and here also I have done nothing that they should put me into the pit.”

Genesis 40:15 (ESV)

Sometimes we imprison ourselves with fear, contentment, or the false reassurances of what the world has to offer.  Sometimes we sit and cry over the unfairness of life.  There are times when our self-identity wavers and we may even walk away from the Lord at those times.  But God never walks away from us.  He is every present and willing and waiting for us.  Grounding our self-identity in the Lord allows us to persevere as Joseph did.  His statement in Genesis 50:20 can serve as an inspiration through our own adversities: 

“As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today.”

Genesis 50:20 (ESV)

I want you to consider how you would describe yourself in three words.  These words cannot apply to your role but should describe a character trait such as funny, positive, smart, caring.  How do you see yourself?   

If you were to write down those three words that you used to describe yourself, I almost guarantee that if you had your mother, sister, best friend or other loved one write three words about you, the words would not match.  And why is that?  My opinion is that the self that we see in the mirror is an image from the inside out, while the image that others see is from the outside in. 

Looking from the inside-out is a protected view.  It is that aspect that separates us and only you know the good, the bad and the ugly of your life.  What you may use to describe yourself is insecurity where others see humor, or you may see powerlessness where others see a servant’s heart.  The inside-out view is tied to our personal narrative, and the ironic twist is that while it is ours to control, it may be controlling you.

So then, what influences the way we view ourselves?  Well, there are obvious answers of social media and advertising that impact body image, but what are the pressures we put on ourselves independent of those things?

While our self-identity can also be impacted by the world around us, it is more profoundly shaped by those closest to us.  We need to make sure that we are surrounding ourselves with not only people who are interested in building each other up but doing so in a way that honors God and makes sure that His voice is the center of our narrative.

So how does God see us? I want to let his voice be heard loud and clear through the scripture.

To begin with, we were made in His image.

“So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.”

Genesis 1:27 (ESV)

We were chosen by God before the creation of the world.

“even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him.”

Ephesians 1:4 (ESV)

God knew us before we knew ourselves.

“For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb.”

Psalm 139:13 (ESV)

These verses stand as God’s testimony to our value and worth in His sight.  He chose us, He knew us, He made us.  Our identity begins with God, and this should serve as the foundation of our identity.  God looks past the good, the bad and the ugly and sees us for who we truly are.  One of my favorite verses on this topic is the passage where Samuel is sent to anoint the next king over Israel.  And the Lord tells Samuel:

“Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him.  For the Lord sees not as man sees; man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.”

I Samuel 16:7 (ESV)

God sees us through the eyes of compassion.  He never expected us to be perfect or He wouldn’t have made a plan from the beginning of time to send Jesus to die for our sins. 

In scripture, we are described as conquerors.

“…in all things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.”

Romans 8:37 (ESV)

We were created for good works.

“For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.”

Ephesians 2:10 (ESV)

We are a holy people.

“But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for His own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of the darkness into his marvelous light.”

I Peter 2:9 (ESV)

Our self-identity should include these traits – conqueror, worker of good works, holy.

Over the next few days, I will be posting a four-part series based on a recent talk I gave at the Walnut Street Church of Christ “Ladies Day” in Dickson, Tennessee.  The topic was on self-identity and its development in Christ.  I hope you enjoy this series entitled “Seeing Clearly”.

As a nurse, I have been privileged to serve people from all walks of life.  It is through this lens that I have had a front-row seat in observing people, and it has brought into focus this idea of self-identity which I believe is the uniting thread that connects all of us to our humanity.  There is no other created being that is capable of being able to stop and reflect on itself.  Think about that for just a second.  This idea of self-identity is uniquely ours. 

Reflecting back on my patients over the years, the patient in front of me could have been the richest, most influential person in the community, or they could have been a homeless person found on the street, but in a hospital gown, both people were my patient. People in need of help, and more alike in that circumstance than they were different.  Illness has a way of revealing people.  See, when you strip away your role in life, your socioeconomic status, your gadgets, gizmos, and labels – who are you?  How do we arrive at the point where we tell ourselves that we have been a success or a failure, and how do we determine that this opinion is valid?

How you see yourself matters because it acts as a bridge to your actions.  In the Bible, we can think of Sarah and how she laughed over the idea of having a child in her old age. Moses was in disbelief when the Lord told him that he was to be the leader of the Israelites. How do we develop our own unique self-identity?

The person that we “see” ourselves as is derived from a collection of experiences that begin from the time we are aware of ourselves as an independent person capable of making independent decisions – which arrives at about age two. I know this because I can clearly remember my daughter going through this phase with a fierce determination and the phrase “I do it!” being her constant mantra. 

As toddlers progress into adolescence, the social aspect of friends and social media influences self-identity which carries over into young adulthood that is marked by the establishment of professional identities and maybe romantic relationships.  Middle adulthood is influenced by balancing work, family and life events coupled with the beginnings of having to consider caring for parents and facing the possible development of chronic illness.  Family dynamics begin to change as children begin to leave home and establish their own lives and paths.  Older adulthood is faced with the challenges of aging that bring with it the realization of limitations on physical and maybe cognitive aspects of the body along with the changing dynamics of marriages and social life. 

At all stages of life, our identity is being refined.  Ultimately we are a product of our collective narrative.  All of the choices, relationships, roles, and responsibilities come together to create within us the image of who we believe that we are.  It would be great if we could delete all of the negative experiences, but those serve as a contrast to the positive experiences in our lives.  Each of them is necessary for us to learn and grow and form a healthy self-identity.  

“I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”

Galatians 2:20 (ESV)