A few years ago my intern and I went out to lunch for a quick bite to eat. While we were sitting there eating and talking I noticed a man at another table who kept starring at me. After a while of this man eyeing me down he finally came up to our table and said, “Excuse me, but I think I know you. I trained you in boxing years ago didn’t I?” Now I know I look like a muscular bodybuilding boxer, but as I was stuffing my face with some not so healthy food I responded, “No, I don’t box.” The man looked at me confused and kept pressing, “No, I could of sworn I trained you years ago in my club for a fight.” At this point I second guess myself and thought…did I train with this guy…but then I came back to reality and realized I have never trained for a boxing match in my life, and I am pretty sure I would remember that. I told him he had mistaken me for someone else. But then he kept going on and on about how he was just positive it was me. He was so convincing I started to think I had lost my memory and actually trained with this guy. I almost said, “Yes, it was me, I was just seeing if you remembered!” just to finish the acquired conversation so I could get back to my lunch. I will never forget that experience, for a moment I thought I was a boxer in my past.

I learned that day that our identity is a fickle thing. Even though I knew for sure that I had never trained for a boxing match I second guessed myself for a moment. I had to race through my memories to make sure I hadn’t forgotten something about my past. Even though it sounds funny, I realized how powerful someone else’s thoughts about us can shape us if we are not careful. This man had me second guessing my identity even if for a moment.

Here’s the punchline…If you don’t know who you are someone else will determine it for you. Did you get that? Let me repeat it for emphasis…If you don’t know who you are someone else will determine it for you. When we are not confident in our identity we will be swayed by other people’s view of us. However, when we are confident in who we are, others will not sway our self-worth and self-image. Too many people are like the waves tossed to and fro by the winds of other people’s opinions. I am not saying that what others think is meaningless, I am just saying that it is minescuel in the grand scheme of life. Everyone will have an opinion about who we are, but not everyone will understand who we are supposed to be. The only person that can determine who you are going to be is you. God has an amazing plan and purpose for your life, but it is up to you to embrace it and live up to it. God does not live life for us, He empowers us to live the life He has called us to. It is our responsibility to live up to the calling we have received. This is why the apostle Paul wrote…

Ephesians 4:1b

“I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received.”

You can’t live up to the calling you have received if you haven’t received one. Receiving a calling is to understand who you are and the person God has called you to be…it is your identity. So who are you? Who do you aspire to be? Your identity is shaped by the person you are and the person you are becoming. If you aren’t sure who you are you need to dig into God’s word to find who HE says you are. You can’t find out who you are unless you know who God says you are. Only then can you have a true foundation of identity. From there you build upon the person He has called you to be and then your unique identity that He has wired you with. This takes a great deal of self reflection and self discovery. Know who you are so you can know what you need to be doing. And never let someone else determine that for you!

I have a GREAT FREE resource for you called IDENTITY…this is a message I did that you NEED to watch and get the handout to follow along with. Click on the link above to get it.