One of the easiest habits to pick up is talking about other people. Often, we find ourselves just doing it without premeditation. While discussing other people might be an escape, and an easy way to feel better about oneself, it yields no result. If we spend as much time reflecting on who we are, we will realize that we have similar things that we discuss in other people’s lives. So, what do you say about yourself?
Understanding oneself requires an honest disposition to accept our weaknesses and strengths before God. Self-awareness requires complete surrender to our Maker. Think about this: Why do people spend so many resources trying to “rebuild” themselves? It is because they want to come off as successful. Whether we invest in self-rebranding, renewing, revising, cosmetic rebuilding, etc., the goal is to become better at what we do and who we are. However, no matter the rebrand we engage in, we know it has to be based on the truth to produce a good result. Otherwise, it will simply be a house built on sand that will collapse when it faces storms and tempests (Matt 7: 24-27).
Example of John the Baptist
What did John say about himself? Why did John the Baptist choose to be an ordinary voice? Just a voice? John had an opportunity to describe himself as Elijah or as one of the mighty men of God but did not. Even the priests and scribes who sought to understand John’s identity were disappointed at John’s answer. John was aware of who he was, as well as his mission. There are so many people today who have ventured into several businesses, missions, and ministries. They keep doing trial and error. The reason is because they have failed to understand who they are in God. Self-awareness correlates with one’s mission.
Sticking to One’s Mission
John was questioned, challenged, despised, accused, and even wrongly branded as being possessed by Satan (Matt 11:18). Think about the pressure he had to put up with. He resisted the temptation to change his identity and mission. He stuck to his mission. He stood firm until the end. Jesus testified, “John is the greatest of all born of women” (John 11:11).
Today’s Challenge
Why does it look like there is an identity crisis today? Each time we try to understand who we are, without reference to God, our Maker, we get confused because we limit self-discovery based on how we feel, what we know, what we like, etc. Remember, only the manufacturer of a product writes its manual. Another reason why many people today struggle to understand who they are and their mission and stick to it is because of materialism. There is pressure to define oneself based on what one possesses or could acquire. Jesus warns, “A man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions” (Luke 12:15; see also Rom 14:17). Every commercial on TV does not have to be responded to.
Conclusion
Despite the pressure, questioning, arrest, and imprisonment, John insisted on describing himself as who he is—a voice! He was the voice that reminded us to keep trying to straighten our way with God. No one wants to use the wrong roads when embarking on a journey. We can never get to our destination via the wrong route. Spiritually, making our way straight would help us have easy access to God at any point in time, which in turn helps us to know our mission and be sustained in our assignment with impactful results.
