Who Am I?

Via TJC

Then God said, “Let Us make mankind in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea, the birds of the sky, the livestock and over all the earth, and every crawling thing that crawls on the earth.” - Genesis 1:26

What does the question today invoke in you?  Who am I?   Who could I be?   Who do I want to be?  At our core, we are all the children of God, made in His image and imbued with many of his traits and we are all at different stages of personally answering these questions.  The most powerful tool I have found for answering these questions is Truth.  Why?  The Truth sheds light on the reality of our situation, side stepping any lies that we tell ourselves to make us feel better about our behavior.  To know who you are, you must continually be truthful and willingly face reality. 

I was a good leader in many ways, but in truth, I also failed in some areas. I was lazy and failed to lead others lovingly and consistently. In my impatience, I would quickly default to using harsh anger to force people to change.  I easily wielded anger as a tool and I thought that if people feared my anger, they would stop making things difficult and act properly but as every tyrant knows, anger and fear only get you so far.

Several brothers and my wife pointed out that I was not leading from the front as a tender warrior but pushing from the back as a bully. This was the truth, but it was hard for me to hear.  I needed to be unafraid to bring my life into the light so my works could be exposed as coming from God…or not!  I saw my anger as a ‘valuable tool’. Yet, I had to face the truth that it destroyed more than it built.  So I received correction, bent my knee, and submitted to allow the Father to change me. 

If a man only talks and acts truthfully, he is satisfied and at peace with himself.  There are no lies to remember or anxiety over hidden faults.  He can face life with a clean conscience, ready for adventure and correction.  Living the truth becomes a habit and he can dive into who he is as a child of God, called to be a brother, husband, father or friend.  I am still working toward being truthful in everything and each day, who I am gets closer to who I want to be.

Daily Battle Order

If you don’t know who you are or at least who you want to be, you are at risk of being swept away by any current that comes along.  Your DBO today is to ask these questions and discover what they mean to you.  Digging out the truth of who you are will take some time, but your Father made you for a purpose.  Ask and find it!