Dear Friends,

The Christian faith asks, and then answers, the question: “Who Am I?” It’s an important question because most of us aren’t really sure what makes the greatest claims on our time/energy/thought(s)/feeling(s). If we don’t know, how would we talk about our deepest identity? And if we don’t know, how would that identity show up in our lives in ways that matter?

To be sure, hundreds of things hold sway over who and how we might identify ourselves. Some of them are given to us. They are not choices. I am male. I am white. I am straight. I was born in the United States. I have Southern roots. I am an Enneagram #4. I grew up upper-middle class. Does this define me? In some ways, it does.

But then there are all the other matters which are related to choices I have made along life’s journey. I was married. I am divorced. I am a father to two children. I am a left-leaning liberal (which on some days is no more than a bunch of opinions that I adopted from someone else). I am a humanitarian. I am a Christian (which means I have a strong devotion to the life/teachings/ministry and transformative impact of Jesus’ life). How much do all of these things define me? Am I clear on what matters a little, and what matters a lot?

As of late, I am seeking more clarity. Why? I am not entirely sure. Yet I have a growing sense that I want to know my own mind and my own heart in a new way. I want to know how the best of me sees me, and how the best of me would choose to see you. I don’t want social media (or the world for that matter) to tell me very much. The world is full of it. Most of the time it stresses all that matters least.

So what does my faith tell me? First, I am a sinner saved from my propensity to be too self-involved and self-centered. I am also created in God’s image which is nothing but grace. How did I get here? From love. Why am I here? For love. Why are you here? The same reason. Pretty much everything else isn’t that important. Thanks be to God.

Carter