Being Confident in Who You Are

Who are You – Really?  Many people struggle with the concept of personal identity.  When we were children, most of us grew up confident in who we were – until we reached our teen years.  At that point in life, we are bombarded with big issues of identity – body image; perfect hair, skin, and teeth; as well as the bigger picture things – career, further education, relationships, marriage, etc. 

As we move through our life, many things continue to shape our identity.  For me, when I was young, I was a very self-confident child; outgoing, outspoken, friendly to a fault.  When I entered my teens, I experienced a brief but profound time of anorexia that has continued to shape my personal viewpoint of my body image ever since.  In my teens, I was challenged to choose college or marriage – I chose to marry.  In my twenties, I gave birth to my son, enjoyed numerous volunteer leadership positions and experienced the pain of my marriage ending.  In my thirties, I attended college, worked at a number of jobs, and married again – to a wonderful man that I still enjoy sharing my life with today.  In my forties, I worked solely in the financial industry, and held several community leadership positions.  As I begin my 5th decade, I found myself once again struggling with my personal identity – in similar but different ways that I did as a teen.

For one thing, I found that I couldn't base my personal identity on my “work personality”.  The “me” that managed banks and created client opportunities was a very time-crunched person, with little time for family, friends, or volunteering.  As I visited with many wonderful people, they echoed the same thing – the “person” that they were in their former career bears little resemblance to the “person” they are here and now.

Secondly, I have found that I couldn't base my personal identity on my “family”.  Families are fluid – meaning they flow and change.  The “me” that devoted hours to raising my family is different than the “me” that enjoys the empty-nest with my husband; and is different than the “me” that cared for my elderly parents in our home.  The only constant “family” identity word that I can use to describe myself is patient.  I was patient raising my children, I have been patient living as an empty-nester, I was patient as a in-home caregiver to both of my elderly parents and I am patient with my father who now lives in an assisted living home.  
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Thirdly, I couldn't base my personal identity on my location.  The “me” that lives in north Idaho is a different “me” that lived in St. George.  I enjoy different pursuits, hobbies, restaurant choices, shopping habits – you name it – it’s different.  While there are some similarities - I still love going to coffee shops, fro-yo stores, and out to dinner on Friday nights with a walk around town afterward - the "me" who lives in north Idaho now is a version of the "me" who lived in St. George, but just a slightly different package.
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The conclusion that I have come to is that in order to know who I really am – I need to understand why I’m here, what I was created for, and my purpose in life.  The answer to that – I have found – is through God’s word.  “For in Him we live, move and have our being…” Acts 17:28.