Who Are YOU? Who? Who?

So in the mornings when I’m on the treadmill, I have my Pandora “Oldies” station belting out tunes from my teen years. I think it’s an attempt at denial about the years creeping up on me. But in any case, as I walk and have time to listen and contemplate the lyrics, it provides a lot of material for reflection.

One of the common themes I hear expressed nearly every day from my counseling clients—in a hugely divergent variety of ways—has to do with identity issues. They don’t know who they are. They are stumbling through life with no direction or purpose—tossed back and forth by difficult circumstances, traumatized by abusive people, terrorized by the uncertainty of the future.

All of these thoughts rattled around in my head one morning as I was walking and “The Who” belted out their famous song “Who are you? Who? Who?” Many of my clients have no answer.

Identity is intimately and intrinsically tied to purpose. Being able to identify various tools informs us of their use. You don’t try to pound a nail with a snow shovel or remove the snow from your driveway with a hammer. Well, I guess you can try, but it will only produce frustration and be very ineffective and inefficient in accomplishing the task at hand.

So it is with knowing who we are and being able to live according to our purpose. Stumbling along with no identity, no purpose, only produces frustration and heartache. We know inherently that we are made for something different or something more—but what? Trying to find a purpose without first knowing our identity is like using the wrong tool. Our lives are marked by ineffectiveness and are currently frustrating and ultimately unfulfilling. On the other hand, knowing who we are and living with intention produces purpose, productiveness, and peace.

For me—as a Christian— I know that I am fearfully and wonderfully made by a Father who loves me, designed me, and orchestrated every one of my days to shape me into the person I am to accomplish a specific purpose in this world. Knowing this deep within my soul gives me an amazingly solid place to stand as I establish my identity and explore my purpose.

What about you? Do you have an answer? Who are you?