Who are you?
If I were to pose the question "Who are you?", it's likely that you'd answer with some variation of the following:"I'm a student of [fill in the blank]" or "I work for [fill in the blank]".While there is nothing innately wrong with these descriptions, I'm troubled by the underlying meaning in the way we typically respond to this question. These answers are about what we do, not who we are. We are more than the sum of our actions.So often as a performance-based society, we place our merit in the things we do, our worth in what our resumes say we've accomplished. I believe our need to be accepted by our actions comes from a deep-seated doubt about whose we are, because earning our acceptance is so counter-intuitive to the gospel.If we desire a true sense of our identity, we must look no further than the word of the Lord, which helps re-align our views of both God and ourselves. Once these two things have been put into perspective, it is then that we can more accurately answer the question "Who are you?" 
View of God
Having a healthy perspective of who I am begins in understanding who my father is, for he is:
- A giver of eternal life through his son (John 3:16)
- Light (1 John 1:5)
- A keeper of promises (1 Peter 3:9)
- A giver of good gifts (James 1:17)
- Perfect and flawless (Psalm 18:30)
The list of his character could continue infinitely, but even this small slice of who he is makes me yearn to know him more. As I dive deeper into knowing his character, then, I begin realizing what that means about humanity.Henri Nouwen dives into this idea of our identity being rooted in communion with the father:
"When we love God with all our heart, mind, strength, and soul, we cannot do other than love our neighbor, and our very selves. It is being fully rooted in the heart of God that we are creatively connected with our neighbor as well as with our deepest self...There, too, I can recognize and claim my own belovedness, and celebrate with my neighbors."
If I can truly grasp that the expanse of the father's love is greater than my comprehension—and yet this massive, extravagant love is for me— how could I reject the idea that I am his beloved? 
View of Self
It is once I know the character of God that I am able to have a right view of myself, understanding that I am his beloved child; knowing my identity is a by-product of knowing the father.Brennan Manning phrases this in a way that resonates with me:
"Define yourself radically as one beloved by God. This is the true self. Every other identity is illusion."
Because I am his beloved, I know that I am:
- A child of God (John 1:12)
- One with God in spirit (1 Corinthians 6:17)
- No longer a slave to sin (Romans 6:6)
- Created in his image (Genesis 1:27)
- Known and chosen (Jeremiah 1:5)
As with the prior list, this one could also go on extensively, but the point is made: all that I am is because of all that he is. I am fully known and fully loved.Something I've felt the Lord speaking to me over the past year, especially when I'm tempted to measure my identity against human standards (and as a result, feel very inadequate), is that I am imperfectly human, but perfectly loved. It is because of his perfect love that I am redeemed and have purpose beyond my own messiness.Once again, Henri Nouwen summarizes this concept well. (Can you tell I'm a fan?) We need to be reassured of our identity in Christ and his love for us in order for everything else to be in order:
"Whether we are rich or poor, famous or unknown, fully abled or disabled, we all share the fear of being left alone and abandoned, a fear that remains hidden under the surface of our self-composure. It is rooted much more deeply than in the possibility of not being liked or loved by people. Its deepest root lies in the possibility of not being loved at all, of not belonging to anything that lasts, or being swallowed up by a dark nothingness—yes, of being abandoned by God."
Thus, rejecting the lie that we are abandoned and unloved by God is the first step to knowing our identity. In beginning to pursue the father and understanding his great love, we may realize our worth through his eyes. This week, my prayer is that we would walk in the full knowledge of being Christ's beloved, and as a result, live in the fullness of our identity.