An Identity Crisis...Finding "ME" in the Middle of Thousands...

[revrandy]

Ever felt like you really didn't know who you were and asked yourself the question;
"Who am I"?

This weekend it was my recurring thought as I sat in the mall watching hundreds go by. The Mall is a good place to relax and just watch people if you like to do that. All shapes, sizes and styles can all be seen at the mall. As I watched people go by it was somewhat interesting to watch their interaction with each other or others. I watched the young people try to fit in with one another by dress. I watched as women walked by trying to keep their own taste and style young. I watched as men walked by, some oblivious to style or taste. It is interesting to note that "birds of a feather still flock together" when it comes to style of dress. The younger girls seemingly mirrored one another as did the young men. The congregated youth to the Mothers with infants, the styles of dress as different as they were the same seem to bond like an adhesive and yet some, if not most seemed extremely uncomfortable with their choices.

Relevance is an important word in humanities' struggle to belong. Fitting in or being a part or playing a part seems to be something that people do to be relevant. They want to feel good about themselves and want others to accept them and feel good about them too. Many times it seems they will sacrifice much just fit in or be accepted. The advertisements of billboards and magazines all seem to scream from the front cover to the ads in the pages that relevance is no longer individualistic struggle but it is a sacrificial one. Do what it takes to be accepted and as one add put it; "Thirst is everything, Obey Your Thirst" and some do so by giving in to the addictiveness of style. Grunge, Success, Rockers, Emo's, Skaters, Bratz, Lerners, Business, Beach, and Seductive all seem to describe what people (whether young or older) will do to fit in concerning style and relevance and yet individualism is celebrated? hmmmm....

The facts are people will always do what it takes to fit in somewhere. People have been created with a need to be accepted and want attention. Some go to extremes and we hear about them in the news or on shows and sooner rather than later life catches up and tragedy ensues.

We are created in the image of God.

This need for attention wasn't just something that happened. In the Garden of Eden where man was created the Bible says that God would come down in the cool of the Day and communicate with His creation; Man.
God created man to communicate His will and His ways and to show love and to be loved. The day you "Find Yourself" will be when you realize that what others think about you doesn't matter but what God thinks of you does. Try to realize today that in whatever situation your in, no matter what troubles you are having, present or past, or how you really feel about yourself recognize that there is One greater who placed the Sun, Moon and the stars in just the right places to accommodate you. He cares deeply for you and wants you to know that in the midst of thousands who may not know Him or Who He is that you are truly a special person to Him because He created you. For example I may not be able to distinguish you from a crowd because you may look like everybody else but there is something that does. Your fingerprint is different from every person around you and it establishes an identity but just establishing who you are won't tell me how you feel or what you may be needing. But regardless of how I could be able to tell you a part from others God looks at your heart and the condition of your mind and He knows you from the inside out and knows exactly what you need while I don't.

I found myself in the middle of thousands at the Mall talking to God and thanking him that true individualism and self worth comes from above. It’s not directed by style or the taste of others and it's not mandated by fashion from someone who doesn’t know me or care for me but self worth and esteem is free just by asking and communicating with God and finding out "who" or "Whose" I really am.

Find some time today to be an true Individual to talk with God and be Encouraged!

Randy

[TK Burk]

Great subject and thoughts.

An identity crisis is a sign of a lack of identity in Christ. The question of "who we are" is best answered by "whose we are," and this is, "I AM's"!

John 17:22 And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one:

1 John 3:1 Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not.

1 Corinthians 6:20 For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's.

[Felicity]

Randy, this was good! Many of us, I guess, have had some of the thots you expressed here.

It's amazing to me that I am one in billions of people and yet I am an individual, important, and have a personal relationship with the Creator of the universe. That He knows ME and has chosen ME and that every detail of my life is known to Him. That He reveals mysteries and shares secrets with one of such little importance as we usually think of importance as being. That what I do and think matters to Him and has repercussion.

That He would not only "call" but choose someone so insignificant and average. It's amazing. But then what does Scripture say?

1 Cor. 1:26-28:
For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called:

But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty;

And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are:

It was good to read this this morning. Thanks for taking the time to write! I always enjoy and appreciate what you have to say.

[Truly Blessed]

Randy, thanks for the insightful thoughts! Do you think that being true to who you are is something that comes with age, experience and success? It seems that one reaches a point where you feel that the life you have lived up to that point has defined you and, if you are comfortable with the life you've lived and what you have accomplished, you tend to be more at ease about being yourself because you are secure in who you are.

You wrote, "The facts are people will always do what it takes to fit in somewhere. People have been created with a need to be accepted and want attention. Some go to extremes and we hear about them in the news or on shows and sooner rather than later life catches up and tragedy ensues."

I agree with you that people tend to do whatever they must do to fit in with the group they are associated with whether it is in the workplace or church environment. What is sad is that we sometimes end up giving up too much of our individual uniqueness and personal convictions in order to fit into someone else's mold in order to be accepted. A good example would be someone who feels no conviction about wearing a mustache and believes they look better with one than without one, yet they cannot be the unique person they are because they wouldn't be accepted with a mustache.

[The Mrs]

This is very good High Potatotate! Thanks for posting it!

[revrandy]

Originally Posted by Truly Blessed

Randy, thanks for the insightful thoughts! Do you think that being true to who you are is something that comes with age, experience and success?

Success is defined so many ways... I think it would depend more on your relationship with God and his defintion of success than our own..


It seems that one reaches a point where you feel that the life you have lived up to that point has defined you and, if you are comfortable with the life you've lived and what you have accomplished, you tend to be more at ease about being yourself because you are secure in who you are.

True...

You wrote, "The facts are people will always do what it takes to fit in somewhere. People have been created with a need to be accepted and want attention. Some go to extremes and we hear about them in the news or on shows and sooner rather than later life catches up and tragedy ensues."

I agree with you that people tend to do whatever they must do to fit in with the group they are associated with whether it is in the workplace or church environment. What is sad is that we sometimes end up giving up too much of our individual uniqueness and personal convictions in order to fit into someone else's mold in order to be accepted. A good example would be someone who feels no conviction about wearing a mustache and believes they look better with one than without one, yet they cannot be the unique person they are because they wouldn't be accepted with a mustache.

There is a blessing in submitting if you choose to remain.. I think the greater good is keeping a right spirit...

[Truly Blessed]

Originally Posted by revrandy

There is a blessing in submitting if you choose to remain.. I think the greater good is keeping a right spirit...

This is so true. It really does come down to the spirit of a man. Perhaps this is why Proverbs 20:27 says, "The lamp of the LORD searches the spirit of a man ; it searches out his inmost being."God is much more concerned about the spirit of a man, than the appearance of a man. When a person has a right spirit, he understands the significance of submitting to those whom God has placed in authority over him. A truly humble person no longer demands their own rights, but submits to what is most beneficial for the general good of the body as a whole.