“You need to know who you are, so that you’ll know what to do with your whole life. And if you don’t know who you are, you won’t know what to do.”

Mark Driscoll

Who Are You?

Do you know who you are? If someone were to describe you, what would they say? Many people spend their whole lives not knowing who they are. My freshman year of college I actually took a course on choosing my major, this class explored and tried to help me figure out who I was. In that class we answered many questions on the topics of our: interest, passions, and skills. Many college students don’t know who they are which leads to multiple times of switching majors and graduating college in six years. A lot of people don’t know their identity or mission in life. Thankfully life is a journey and we don’t have to have it figured out today but over the course of a lifetime. However, I think you can have a foundational grasp of who you are today by asking some questions.

 

3 KEY

Questions to ASK to Discover Who You Are: 

 

1) What or where do you get your identity from? Your work? Your accomplishments? Your relationships?

When we meet someone for the first time it is really common for us to ask, “What do you do for work?” During family holidays people like to ask, “Are you dating anyone?” or “What have you been doing lately?” (usually seeking the answer if you have accomplish anything BIG or unique). BUT, what if our identity isn’t in these things, but in something bigger: Jesus. Wow, maybe I lost you there once I said his name, but if you’re still reading, what do you think of this? You are not what you do but who you are. If you don’t believe in Jesus, where do you gain your identity and what happens when that area crumbles? (Honestly, I would love to hear. )

2) What is your mission statement for life?

In one sentence write out your mission statement. Weekly or monthly review it, asking yourself, “Am I living according to my mission statement? Do my actions align with it?” For example, for my husband and I, our mission statement is to “Glorify God in all that we do.”

3) What does your heart look like?

People are gifts. You are a gift. You can be a good or a painful gift to those around you. You get to choose. To be a joyous gift you need to examine your heart. The biggest problems in today’s generation stem from icky hearts: lusting, grumbling, envying and selfishness. How do you cultivate a pure loving heart? We, at least women, spend countless time on making our outer beauty beautiful. How much time do you spend working on your inner beauty, your heart?

To the onlooker, people will see that my husband, Denny, is: a talented striving entrepreneur, an English teacher, a writer, a husband,  an innovator thinker, a connoisseur for knowledge and a coffee lover. These ideas are the superficial attributes of Denny. He is more than that, he is…

–Kind: He is a great leader in groups and as a husband. When I am struggling with something he listens, doesn’t try to fix me, and will speak truth into the situation.

–Thoughtful: He is always thinking of others. He has integrity, even when no one is watching (except me, without him knowing it).

–Gracious: No matter how many times I or others have wronged him, he forgives them.

–Giving: He is the most generous person I have met in my life. He has a huge heart for giving: finances, knowledge and his time to others.

–Loving: He really cares about people. He really listens and is a safe person to talk to. I haven’t met one person who hasn’t felt like Denny is easy to befriend. He is just one of those people that can make anyone (a punk, wealthy business owner, homeless person, etc.) feel loved.

The attributes above describe who Denny really is. The most important thing is that Denny is love to others. What really matters about a person is where their heart is. It’s your heart that people will remember. Remember to cultivate being a joyous gift to others.

Who are you? What are some of your answers to the above questions? 

 

My gift to you, smiles from Shanghai, China.

The 10,000 Smiles Project 

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