Who Am I?

One of my favourite Christian songs is that Casting Crowns song, ‘Who Am I?’ It opens with this question “Who am I? That the Lord of all the earth would care to know my name…” If we were to ask God himself, he might well answer us from Psalm 139, “I created your inmost being and I knit you together in your mother’s womb” (v13). This is what he will further say, “You are fearfully and wonderfully made and you know full well my works are wonderful” (v14). With these words, he reminds us, “Child, you are my beloved masterpiece. That is who you are – the crowning work of my creative ability.” This is who we are. This also shows us our true worth.

Some persons and things are loved because they have worth. We love our houses and we want to have bigger ones. A man looks at a beautiful woman and thinks to himself, “I believe I love her.” We love athletes, pop and movie stars, works of art, jade and gold because they have value. If you were to drop a $100 note in the mud, I am sure people will still pick it up. That is because the $100 note still has value! We will still want it. On the other hand, some persons have worth because they are loved. I read this story of a Bible College professor who had a daughter. His daughter had an old doll. She had played with it for so long that it had started to wear out with its threads unraveling. Yet it was his daughter’s most precious possession. When the lecturer and his family had to move overseas, the family members had to choose what to bring with them. The first thing his daughter chose was the dirty doll. The doll had no worth in itself. Yet, in the daughter’s eyes, that doll was worth everything because she loved the doll. We are just like the doll. As sinners, we are worth nothing and when we die, we become dust. Yet God loves us even when we are worth nothing. He loves us enough to let his Son die for us so that we can go to Heaven. That means we are very, very precious to him.

This is the ultimate source of our security - we are beloved of God. When we are secure in the knowledge of God’s love for us, we will not be overly concerned about the extra flab (unless it affects our health) and the hair we lose. We will not be emotionally affected by the kind of job or position we hold. We will not be troubled by the fact that others have letters before and after their names and we don’t. We will not anxious if the in-crowd in our school chooses not to associate with us. We will get an IPhone because it is useful to us and not just because everyone counts it among their latest toy. We will not be obsessed with keeping track on our bank accounts and our house size. If we have them, we thank God for his grace and enjoy them as his blessings. If we do not have them, we still can thank God because the lack of these things does not diminish our worth in God’s eyes.

What else is left for us to do except to gaze on our God with praise and gratitude and to live our lives purposefully for his glory.