Who or What Defines Me?

Who are you?
You created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mothers's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful. Psalm 139:13-14
So God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female he created them...God saw all that He had made, and it was very good! Genesis 1:26-31


There were 7,220,00 entries when I asked google to give me information on how to build my self-esteem. Are you kidding me, over 7 million entries? What do you think that says? People are searching trying to find themselves, who they are, why were they created, what is their purpose on this earth. One of the best books I ever read on this subject was Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren. He addresses all of these issues. One of the best women's books I have ever read on how God feels about me as a woman is Captivating by John and Stasi Eldredge.

Each stage of life that you walk through you ask questions about who am I. When you are a child and then a teenager, friends view of us dictate how we think and act. Peer pressure is powerful defining how many kids live their lives and the choices that they make that often affect them for years to come. When you leave home for the first time, you want to detach yourself from your upbringing, asking questions about how you have been raised and if you believe what you have been taught. Are you defined by your family namesake?

When you get married, you now are accountable to your spouse for how you spend your time and your finances. Does your spouse define how you see yourself, what do you believe, what is your opinion concerning things of life? When you start a career, you gain a title. Does your job and your boss define who you are? Do you gain your self worth and self confidence in what you do and how well you do it? Are you empowered by a pat on the back or a bonus in your pocket for a job well done? Does your success in your career define what kind of person you are?

When you become a parent for the first time, at times your identity gets lost somewhere along the way. Dads take the back seat for this new being in the house and many times has to fend for himself. He used to be king and now he is second in line of priorities and at times is annoyed at lack of attention he receives. Moms often leave behind careers to stay at home. She used to get paid for the work she did, as well as praise for a job well done and now day to day tasks go without notice and she struggles with who she is. She again has find herself. At the next stage of life, kids are growing up and going on to school, days seem quiet and now mom tries to enter the work place once again, trying to rekindle the skill set that once came seamlessly to her. Just when she has gotten it all back juggling all the balls of mom, wife and career, the kids go away and now the home is entirely empty.

Life is an evolution of change. We continue to grow and change as individuals. We are a work in progress and life never stays the same. Relationships with each other, family as well as friends is always evolving. Life circumstances dictate the evolution. What happens to the individual that depends on popular opinion, opinions of a spouse, job titles for their self-esteem? It is like the story of the house built on sand...

The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against the house, yet it did not fall, because it has its foundation built on the rock...The foolish man built his house on sand. The rain came down, the stream rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash. When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at his teaching, because he taught as one who had authority, and not as their teachers of the law. Matthew 7:25-29

If my self esteem comes from what I do, or what others think of me, it will be ever changing. The strong foundation should say that who I am is based on the fact that God created me in His image, he continues to redeem, and restore me as He intended me to be, to be like Him. He died for me, not only to save me eternally but to make me spiritually, phyiscally and emotionally whole again, regardless of what life experiences I have walked through. Because I have accepted His love for me, I am a daughter of the King, I am royalty. Now when the winds come, change comes, trials come, my foundation of who I am is firm, because my foundation is built upon THE ROCK, Jesus. Although I continue to struggle with self-confidence, I firmly know who I am and why He put me here on this earth.

Do you know who you are? Do you know whom you belong to? Where does your self-confidence come from? Do you rely on man's opinion of you or do you live your life to please God?