more on i am...

I have been reflecting a good deal about what it means to know who God has created me to be, to hear His voice of affirmation. Last evening at a family gathering, my brother jokingly wondered if I was offended by something that happened before I arrived. In further conversation, we came to the conlusion that life is too short to be ruined by being offended by the actions of other people.

I have noticed a direct correlation between the frequency that a person is offended by others and by how well they know what God says about them. The more secure that one is in the "by the grace of God I am what I am", the less likely they are to be offended by people. Being insulted or hurt usually indicates an elevated sense of self-importance.

Today I had a short converstion with Heidi, our oldest daughter. She commented how free it is to be a "nobody". While she realizes that her life is significant, she is also fully aware that her significance comes, not from attempting to be important, but rather from being who God created her to be. She has no desire to be considered important by people in church. She refuses to become embroiled in the petty posturing that occurs among the staff at the school where she teaches kindergarten. In her words - I am free to be me.

When we are not aware of how the "by the grace of God I am that I am" practically applies to our life, we will attempt to create our own sense of validation. When something happens that violates our self-created sense of importance, we immediately feel hurt.

Following Jesus takes us to a place of death, to our cross. A dead body feels no pain; it will not respond to blows or stabs. Why? Because it is dead! In the same way, when we feel pain in the blows and stabs of people, it reveals that self has not completely died. We have not yet yielded completely to the will of the Father. We have not relinquished our self-identity to embrace His identity. It is impossible to even begin to understand the affirmation of the Father until we set ourselves on the road of the cross.