Who Am I?

One of the most profound questions a person can ask... and the topic of this morning's sermon.  The pastor is beginning a series on identity; today he asked what defines it.  Is your identity defined by what you do for work, by your various relationships and roles, by your temperament, your skills, your demographics (ethnicity, gender, wealth), your location in geography and history?  Is it none of those things?  All of them?  Is there a sequence of importance to them?

As I sat and listened, I thought about a framework for answering the question.  It struck me that a large portion of what a person might see as their identity is changeable, temporary, transitory.  I could be wealthy now, having been poor earlier, and middle-income before that.  I could be a teacher now, having been in finance before that, and a student before that.  I could be an empty-nester now, a parent of young children before that, and an elderly widower later on.  I could be a Midwesterner now, but before that a New Englander, and before that a Californian.  So, wouldn't it be better to start the process of answering the question of my identity with those things that are permanent, unchanging, eternal, and then move to those things that are subject to change (sometimes rapid change)?

In each of my classes that I teach as a college adjunct instructor, I have a lecture on presuppositions - those held beliefs about reality which are givens for us and through which we filter and interpret the world around us.  When you talk about the things that  are permanent and lasting, your presuppositions about reality come through clearly, mine being no different in that regard.  So, here is the outline I came up with, to which I can put more words as time permits:

Who am I?

     > Created by God
          - Valuable
          - Handiwork
               . Temperament
               . Abilities
               . Giftedness
          - Flawed
     > Child of God
          - Forgiven
          - Adopted
          - Righteous
          - In Process
     > Context
          - Earth
          - End of 2nd Millennium since Christ
          - Western Hemisphere, Northern, American
     > Career
          - Analytical
          - Problem Solving
          - Leadership
     > Current Roles/Relationships
          - Husband
          - Father of Adult Children
          - Mentor
          - Teacher
          - Learner
          - Creative (music, words)
          - Hobbyist
          - Friend/Relative