Who do you think I am? Who I think I am, and who God says I am, do not always line up. What about you? Who determines your value as a person of worth? Is it you? Is it what others say or what you perceive? What do you say about yourself, internally or verbally? What are those thoughts and statements based on?

I have traveled a number of decades in this life and who I thought I was, unfortunately, has been wrong most of the time. My childhood self was the “good girl” who did her homework and cleaned her room without being asked. She was the little girl who worked hard at humoring her dad. She believed she had the power to keep him from getting angry and raging. Who I believed I was based on labels I had given myself. I was a girl needing things from people unable to give, out of their own false identities.

Shifting into adolescence brought a personality change and I became a teenager believing she had no worth whatsoever. Looking back, I can see how sad it was. At the time, I was blind to most of life. Despair has a way of blinding all of us. Goodness and kindness can be shining brightly and cannot be seen by those who are focused on their personal pain. I was stuck and stubborn. What a combination!

After what must have seemed like ages to my praying mother, things began to shift. Slowly. In small, hesitating steps, I began walking away from the false identities that had taken up headspace. It wasn’t until I began my life in Christ that I began to see, believe and live out who God says I am.

What has this got to do with Joseph in Genesis? In Chapter 45, Joseph reveals his identity to his brothers. They are not sure what to expect since they had planned to kill him decades earlier and a last-minute plan put Joseph in slavery instead. Now could be the day of reckoning. But God had something so much better planned. Joseph’s family would be rescued from dying of starvation. The famine would last, their food had not, and solace would be found in Egypt, with their brother second in command to Pharaoh. I encourage you to read the amazing journey of Joseph in Genesis, beginning from…the beginning!

Joseph knew who he was because he knew who God was. He did not believe the past defined him in the negative sense. He believed God. My life began to change when I believed God. That is a process that works when I get to know God. I can believe in God, yet that is not the same as knowing God. Knowing God is found just like in any real, significant relationship. Time spent together. I’ve been married for many years and I know Gordie not because we had a wedding. Not because we live in the same home. I know him from spending time with him. Talking. Listening. Doing nothing together. Making room in my heart, in my day, in my thoughts and in my world.

Who do you think I am? This may sound harsh, but true. Who you think I am isn’t important, although I do want you to like me! Who God not just thinks I am, but who He says I am is what matters.

Some Scriptures to get you started, and if this is unfamiliar to you, just begin.

●   John 1:12 - I am Gods child

●   Romans 8:31 - I am free from any condemning charges against me

●   2 Timothy 1:7 - I have not been given a spirit of fear but of power, love, and a sound mind.

Do you know who God says you are? Do you find yourself doubting that God created you and gave you gifts and abilities as His child? Please leave a comment and share your thoughts.