I may have mentioned this before, but Sierra is into the princesses huge right now. Everything is about the princesses - clothes, games, book, DVD's - you name it, there needs to be a princess on it. One really good point about this - I was hoping to get Sierra to learn about fishing this year, and I happened to find a princess fishing pole - she loves it, practices in the backyard with it, and cannot wait to try it out in the water.
I am told that the allure of the princesses is a natural phase for most girls, and most dad's find ways to adapt to it as well:)
Every once in a while, we talk about people we know, and Sierra says, "I'm not Sierra, I'm Cinderella." She takes the identity of her favorite princess and claims it as her own.
And identity is such a huge issue for us, isn't it.
In our world, we are identified by so many different things - our parents, our jobs, what school we go to, our hobbies, who we are married to or dating, etc. For some, it is this identity that defines them as a person - how people view them is who they are.
This is not all that healthy - for when we look to others to define us, we are relying on them to see everything about us, and that isn't possible because we are such complex beings that no human can see all of us.
So what if our identity comes from a deeper place - as in a phrase I have used before - not who we are, but whose we are. First and foremost, our identity comes from God. We are his children, his creation, his beloved. Knowing this first, knowing that we are created as specific, unique beings who are loved and have gifts, empowers us. it reminds us that no matter what, we have a God who loves us and blesses us, even when we feel unloved.
And when we start there - knowing that we are beloved creatures who were created with a purpose in mind and gifts to achieve that purpose, everything else is different in life. Our identity does not rely on others to define us, because we are all ready defined as children of God. And what greater identity is there than that?
So may you always know that you are loved, cared for, and needed. You are blessed child of God, empowered with the gifts of the Spirit, and called to share that blessing with others.
1 comment:
Pastor E said,
"First and foremost, our identity comes from God. We are his children, his creation, his beloved. Knowing this first, knowing that we are created as specific, unique beings who are loved and have gifts, empowers us."
Wouldn't it be wonderful, if everyone in the entire world suddenly had this perspective, had this infusion of a feeling of "power?"
It would be amazing. There would be a stoppage of all war, money would no longer be the end-all and be-all for people, neighbors would love one another and seek ways to help others.
I guess the best each of us can do is to start with ourselves. By example, as we are out there, others may be changed by what we do or say, or by what we leave unsaid.
Lord, protect us from making judgements of others, or of being unsympathetic. Often what we leave unsaid is best.
Because, while we are all created by God, we have not been created equally. There are many who don't consider that they have any gifts at all. I found this to be true in my classroom all the time. A young man who has been told repeatedly that he can't write decently, (and there has been ONLY criticism), is very hesitant to try again, especially when he is now in high school.
How do we reach out to all the low self-esteemed in our world, those in our society and in our schools who have been, in a sense, "thrown away?" If every single person in the world could see some glimmer, some gift, inside of themselves, just think what our world would be like.
It's an awesome thing to consider and I pray that God finds a way to use me to make it happen.
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