Skip to main content

“We all need to have some meaning for who we are.”

A thought by H. Norman Wright DMin. from his book, Discovering Who You Are And How God Sees You. (p.7). Baker Publishing Group (Click on the book title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.)

We really do, don’t we?

Norman says, “Have you ever been there, in that bottomless pit where you wondered who you were, and no answers came? When it happens, it is frightening. We all need to have some meaning for who we are.

“Any of us can suffer a loss of identity, but it is a loss that in most cases is preventable. That’s right: it can be prevented. Many identity losses are felt because the foundation we base our identity on is shaky.

“Too often we think that striving for identity is a search done only when we are adolescents. Once we attain adulthood, it should be over, but it isn’t. Think about it for a minute. What do you base your identity on? Don’t you define yourself by your role, or what you do? Don’t you establish who you are by your emotional attachments to other people, places and things? Or do you base it on your appearance? It is quite typical for people to do this, and that would be fine if life were static, certain, and always predictable—but it isn’t.”

He later says, “If we have no sense of who we are beyond our different roles in life or our emotional attachments, we have confined ourselves to a state of future identity confusion. However, it is possible for this loss to be avoided.

“When we suffer a loss after having built our identity on anything that can change, we may experience the loss of our identity as well. Perhaps this startling fact will help us see how tenuous the foundation for our identity really is. Do you ever feel fragile? One counselee described herself as a thin china plate that could shatter at any moment.”

He says, “Is your identity based on the physical and emotional elements of your existence? Are you someone who ought to wear a sign that says, ‘Fragile. Handle with care. I break easier than you think’? Not sure?

“If we have no sense of who we are beyond our physical abilities and roles and emotional ties in life, we have confined ourselves to a state of identity confusion. And when we’re confused about who we are, it’s hard to walk in the blessing of God.”

I want to walk in the blessings of God, don’t you?  So will you come back tomorrow and strive with me to discover who we are and how God sees us?  Will you?

Yes, yes!
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

"Lie 2: The more you worry about it, the better your odds of avoiding it."

A thought by Louie Giglio in his book,   Winning the War on Worry    (p. 5). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon to buy the book.) Here is another lie that the Enemy uses with us. And Louie says, "This is a tricky lie. Yes, we often have cause for concern and preparation. But the Enemy wants you to believe that if you worry or fret over a certain outcome long enough, you can keep something bad from happening." But this is so important to realize. He says, "The reality is worrying has never once prevented something negative from happening. Planning might. Prayer has. But worry never will." He continues, "The Enemy tells you that by worrying about a situation (or every situation) you can make your tomorrow better. Really, worry just robs you of today. Jesus implored us: 'I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body mor...
Post a Comment
Read more

“There’s a big difference between building a castle and building a kingdom.”

A thought by Bob Goff from his book, Everybody, Always: Becoming Love in a World Full of Setbacks and Difficult People ( p. 41). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.)   Have you ever built a sand castle or maybe a Lego castle?   Have you? Bob says, “We actually build castles all the time, out of our jobs and our families and the things we’ve purchased. Sometimes we even make them out of each other. Some of these castles are impressive too. Lots of people come to admire what we’ve built over the course of our lives and tell us what great castles we have. But Jesus told His friends we weren’t supposed to spend our lives building castles. He said He wanted us to build a kingdom, and there’s a big difference between building a castle and building a kingdom.” Bob goes on, “You see, castles have moats to keep creepy people out, but kingdoms have bridges to let everyone in. Castles have dungeons for people who ha...
Post a Comment
Read more

"To put it simply, worry isn’t just a bad habit."

A thought by Louie Giglio in his book,   Winning the War on Worry    (p. 1). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon to buy the book.) Ok, that is interesting. Louie says, "Worry is an Enemy tactic—a strategy built on lies that are designed to rob you of peace and tear your mind to pieces. "That’s why it’s crucial that you are able to spot the lies worry tells." He goes on, "Not long ago while on safari in South Africa, Shelley and I were really wanting to see a leopard in the wild. Early and late on our game drives our eyes were set on every tree limb, bush, grassy hill, and river path in hopes of finding one of several leopards that were known to frequent this particular area. But here’s the thing: leopards aren’t bright orange with tall, sparkly antennae on their backs. They are designed to blend into the surroundings, like the bark of a baobab tree where they might be lounging on one of its mighty branches. "In the same way, ...
Post a Comment
Read more