IDENTIFYING WHO YOU ARE?

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Walking into the room, she is isolated from her friends. She looks frail and seems to be away from the world and what is going on around her. You see her in school distant from her friends or following friends who are popular and liked by the others wanting to be like them. She mostly perceives herself as not deserving, not important, not worth it, not beautiful enough, not impressive enough. Anything bad that could be said of a person concerning one's personality. She always tries to fit in.

This might be your story years back or even now. As many people go about their daily activities as they meet new people, many can identify themselves amongst the lot but others end up losing themselves just to fit in and in this process tend to see themselves as inferior, doing their best to be just a prototype of others.

For others, they are pushed away by everyone and possibly ignored by the lot. When this happens they tend to forget who they are and tend to have thoughts of being inferior, weak and many other demeaning things one could consider. Actions like these affect some individuals who tend to live with such thoughts for years until they open up to others, helped by others, loved by others and mostly discover who they are.

But as we move into the world to meet people, look up to people, interact with people and learn from people, have we discovered who we are? Most people tend to forget who they are and also their purpose or reason for being at where they are as time goes on due to the many distractions and the earnest desire to fit in and be loved.

Every company or group has its group vision and mission statement each member of the group follows, but in this same group everyone's duty is different despite the idea of they all meeting the same goal. That's the same idea with the world that surrounds us which includes the people we daily meet. Our purpose identifies us though we might be walking with a people to attain a particular goal.

Identifying ourselves is very important and loving who we are is what will set us to keep pushing and not focus on the neglects from others though very hurtful. As Dough Copper says "Identity cannot be found or fabricated but emerges from within when one has the courage to let go". Accepting everything and living like others to be like them makes you lose your path and waste time but rather the courage of letting go of that desire to fit in emanates the real you, your identity.

Borrowing words from Sinach's lyrics " I know who God says I am, What He says I am" we believe we have been created in the image of God, but we tend to forget who we are when we meet others and we end up looking down on ourselves forgetting our real and true identity making us loving ourselves less.

Lao Tzu says "knowing others is intelligence, knowing yourself is true wisdom, mastering others is strength, mastering yourself is true power". Knowing yourself gives you enough wisdom, ideas and courage to deal with people and work around people to maintain your standard and still deliver to fufiling purpose and not losing yourself and picking others purpose.

It’s important that as we walk this walk of destiny and purpose we identify who we are and our mandate even amongst a group so not to lose focus and also not belittle our uniqueness just as God made us which will block our senses from knowing who we are, depriving a generation of meeting a great you.

We must all also do our best to accept people and help them identify themselves so not to play a part in people not knowing who they are because being an original is better than a copy.

Finally Rev. Eastwood Anaba said “The inferior image you conceive about yourself is not the actual image of who you are. You must see Christ in you. The superior mentality does not come easily. It comes by constantly meditating on the word of God, to have entrenched in your mind the belief that Christ lives in you”

Be yourself, being original is better than a copy.