What I Am, Who I Am and Why

by Tom Gilbert
Published June 8, 2005

God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM.” This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I AM has sent me to you.’”
(Exodus 3:14)

“I Am the Alpha and the Omega” says the Lord God, who is and who was and who is to the come, the Almighty. (Revelations 1:8)

“I am not in this world to live up to other people’s expectations, nor do I feel that the world must live up to mine.” (Fritz Perls)

Discovering who and what I am is a constantly evolving and changing thing.

At the core, the essence of who and what I am is unchanging. That is because I, like you, have been created by a loving and caring God. Sure, I am a product of heredity and I have the genes of my family tree. Still, I am a unique individual. So are you. There is no other just like you and never will be.

You’ve heard the saying, “life is an inside job”. There’s a great deal of truth in this. Each of us must do the work to discover who we are. Some of that is based on how we’ve grown up, what we’ve learned and done and what we believe. Any change that we need to make is going to start by taking honest stock of ourselves and shouldering the responsibility to make the changes we need to and can.

Despite what anyone thinks we are not alone in this process. We are constantly influenced by community and there is a higher power, a God of your understanding, which can help you realize who you are.

Look to the Model

You can get help discovering who you really are by looking to the model that Jesus Christ gave us. Jesus, the Messiah, is fully human and divine. Although He is on par and one with the eternal God in the mystery of the Trinity, he didn’t consider his divinity something to be flaunted as a way of demanding recognition or worship. Paul wrote in the New Testament that even though Christ Jesus was in the form of God he didn’t count equality with God something to be grasped, but emptied himself and took the form of a servant (Philippians 2:6-7).

In the same chapter Paul even tells us that we should have the mind of Christ. Furthermore, the New Testament also teaches us that we are to become like Christ by following His example and loving everyone, even our enemies. The Gospel of John, chapter 17, has Jesus praying to Father God that each of His followers would know unity with God – to be one just as He and the Father are one.

We see over and over in scripture that God loves His creation. And God, the Father, loves the Son. The Son, in return, loves the Father and thanks and praises the Father constantly. Is it not clear that the relationship demonstrated by Jesus and the Father is an example of how we are to live? If we can only accept that we are a beloved child of God – a son or daughter of God always and eternally loved – then we must accept that life is good and it is ultimately a safe universe. Yes, even in the midst of trouble when all seems to be lost. Especially in these moments!

Discovering who you are and what that means is your lifelong journey. Each of us walks our path. This journey may take you through many experiences with lessons along the way. Sometimes we stumble. Sometimes we fall. Suffering and humiliation can be regular companions.

There is also joy

True joy comes as a result of accepting life, the good and the bad, and knowing that we are not alone. Our lives have meaning when we live up to our potential, which is really just another way of saying that we discover the gifts God has given us and use them for the purpose they are intended.
In Western Society we seem to be obsessed with careers and positions and define our self worth by our jobs. The question, “what do you do?” rarely prompts an answer such as, “I do the best I can” or “I do the next right thing.”

Jesus had many “I am” statements. He tells people he is the bread of life, the light of the world and the good Shepherd. Pose the question “what do you do?” to the Lord and He’s apt to reply that he is doing the work and the will of the One who sent him, the great I AM.

True Self/False Self

On the road to “what I am, who I am and why” we all should strive to discover our true self. The world we live in thrives on recognizing and encouraging the “false self”. We wear our masks and pretend we are something we are not, often out of fear that we won’t be accepted for who we really are.

Isn’t it odd that we work so hard for the approval of others when we already have the basic approval from the most important one? God already loves you and nothing can change that. Nothing! Even if you choose to live your life separate from God and do nothing but despicable things. Even if you hate God and others and are hell bent on destruction.

God always loves us and waits eagerly for us each day to turn to Him, the Father of Light..

He’s waiting and yearning to hear us simply say, “Here I am!”

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