Who am I REALLY???

In case you missed it, we recently moved to Lebanon, Indiana. We moved over the last couple weeks and I have been recovering ever since. Moving wears you out and the boxes never seem to disappear quick enough. We moved for several reasons… it’s closer to Indy, it’s closer to our church we attend, and I got a job as a Home Health Aide in Lebanon. All good reasons to move closer…. I may be moved in, but won’t be completely settled for awhile. I am a perfectionist and for some reason need to have everything in it’s place to be completely comfortable.

In the midst of our moving adventure, I had an interesting event happen to me. I ordered one of my prescriptions as usual from the local pharmacy, but things did not go as expected. When my husband went to pick it up, it wasn’t there. Someone else picked it up before him. I probably should say that in Crawfordsville, Indiana there were THREE Julie Davis’ before I moved. One is a teacher, one is a photographer and then there is me. It caused lots of problems. I had problems when reserving books at the library, people called me looking for their photographer, and I got mail about Teacher’s Retirement plans all the time. I assumed this was one of those instances. After talking with the manager of the pharmacy, she assured me this was not the case. She said they were going to be scanning the video footage to ID the person and possibly calling the police station for further action.

For one afternoon I felt somewhat panicked at the fact that someone knew my personal information enough to get my prescriptions. What more could they get in “my name”? Had my identity been stolen? Who do you contact when identity theft has occurred? A lawyer… the police… I never had to think about it before. I worked myself into a frenzy and headed to the pharmacy to discuss my fears with the manager. As I arrived and shared my concerns she calmed them immediately when she said they got it all figured out. The person who took my prescription brought it back right before I arrived. I guess one of the husbands of a “Julie Davis” in town came in to get a prescription for his wife and thought my birth date was hers. It was a case of “mistaken identity”… all was under control and my identity was SAFE! Have you ever had a similar scare with identity theft? It’s no fun! Our identity is WHO WE ARE and nobody can steal that away from us.

Identity can be defined as this… The characteristics that a person is defined, recognized, or known by. These are the qualities that constitute his or her individual personality for life. We wear many hats that define us and add to our identity. I am a daughter, wife, mother, sister, grand daughter, niece, house keeper, cook, teacher, referee, chauffeur, counselor, friend, and CHILD OF GOD. Whatever we do or don’t do and whatever title we carry seem to determine our view of ourselves… and our identity. For instance many stay at home moms feel their jobs are insignificant. Their days consist of dirty diapers, messy hair, puked on clothes, and crying babies, but they are shaping tomorrows leaders day by day.

We can’t define ourselves by what we DO, but instead by WHO WE ARE. When everything is stripped away and all of the titles and hats are thrown aside, what is left… the REAL YOU! What happens when we lose our job, relationships fall apart or things change? Our identity can not be based on the titles we have because they aren’t what is permanent. I have found for myself that true identity can only be found in Christ. He does not view us by our title, but instead by our testimony. Think about it… What has God done for you and in you? He sees beyond our title to our hearts. God sees us differently than we see ourselves. That is one reason why we need to seek to find our identity in Him. He has a different perspective… take a look!

~I am a child of God (Romans 8:14-15)
~God made me on purpose (Psalm 139)
~God has a plan for my life (Jeremiah 29:11)
~I am God’s masterpiece (Ephesians 2:10)
~God will give me the strength to do all I need to do today (Philippians 4:13)
~I am a reflection of Jesus to the world (Colossians 3:4)
~I can conquer anything with God’s help (Romans 8:37)
~I am a new creation in God (2 Corinthians 5:17)
~God completes me (Colossians 2:9-10)
~God forgives and forgets all of my mistakes (Jeremiah 31:34)

The list could go on of how God views us and how we can find our identity in Him. If you have been seeking to fill the empty spots of your life by career, relationships, successes, or gaining money and titles, I pray today you will re-evaluate your life. When all the titles and hats your wear are stripped away, what will you be left with? I hope it will be Jesus. He is the only thing that lasts forever. If you don’t know Him, I challenge you to invite Him into your life. He can make a masterpiece out of anything we give Him. He is very creative! May you be challenged today to discover who you really are beneath the surface of your life.

Living to leave a legacy,
Julie