Self Discovery

There is a preoccupation with self discovery among youth and adults alike in our world. It's like this need that has been programmed into us all to find out “who I am.” I grew up thinking about this and I'm sure several of you did, too. What it took me a long time to understand is that really, finding out who you are is a function of your choices. You are who you choose to be. Your choices govern who you become.

Also, we, as adults or youth, are not one well-defined person who needs to simply be uncovered. We are changing beings who learn from mistakes and improve (hopefully).

Some definitions are great and as we make choices in life, we add to our self-definition. The choice to be chaste, sober, married, etc. Definitions that help us live up to righteous standards are good. Standards and values should be well-defined and followed. But sometimes when we define ourselves, it can actually limit us from growing. We may not say them aloud, but some of us actually define ourselves in negative ways. We are addicts, we can't hear God's answers to prayer, we are too sick to do what we want or need to do.
What is it that makes you feel like you don't know who you are in the first place? Usually, wrong choices do. It's not that you don't know who you are; it's that you are not making all the choices that you know you should be. We don't quite live in complete faith that God will guide our lives one step at a time. If we did, we would feel really good about ourselves.

Sometimes we feel lost because of the challenges that come with circumstance. Several things go wrong at once and we wonder who we are or if we are doing something wrong to deserve this. Perhaps we may wonder if God is punishing us. I am grateful to have an understanding about God that leads me to ask the question, “What is God trying to teach me through this trial?” rather than a “woe is me” attitude, or even a “I don't even know who I am anymore” attitude. If I have consistently tried to make good choices, I have a solid foundation for who I think I am. Of course, the Lord knows better. He knows how I need to grow even if I can't see it. So if a moment comes when I am asking, “Who am I?” because of a trial, I can ask with the understanding that the Lord is only trying to mold me into someone better.