Walking through the town of Bath presents a wide range of people types and personalities. Tourists from all over the world and the UK crowd the streets while local residents casually serve or become active people watchers. As we strolled up the hills and through the narrow alleys alternately bathed in sunshine and cool shade, the questions of whom I am continued to roll in my mind.
Is the nature of my work the key fact that defines my identity? Does my status and role as a parent or uncle define how I perceive myself? What role does my US citizenship and Indian birth play into the equation? How about the fact that I am Jim’s son, Don’s son-in-law? The list of possible factors begins to grow longer and longer. The classic car that rests in the garage is a possibility; other’s include golf, bicycling, sports, music, spiritual journeys, and meditation.
Who am I?
The answer is found in a statement Paul quotes from Hosea and mirrored in my own walk. “I’ll [God] call nobodies and make them somebodies; I’ll [God] call the unloved and make them beloved.” (Romans 9.25)
As a bright early summer day dawns, fresh, crisp, and with birds singing, I know that I am somebody who is God’s beloved. This can define everything if I accept the statement. The application applies to both of us. Do I accept God’s statement of fact? Do you? Am I even willing to explore what the statement can possibly mean in reality?
I know who I am. I know where I stand in the harsh light of day. I see opportunities for giving love and acceptance to others in circumstances that beg for an act of revenge and exacting the penalties due. I look to nurture the journeys of those around me, in awe of God’s gift to each and every one of us. All because I know that I am a child of God’s, His beloved.
I know that you are God’s child and beloved. I know because He said it. Do you?
