Identity and purpose
The story is told of a traveller who stumbles across an outpost. The Roman sentry there shouts down, “Who are you? What are you doing here?” Shocked to be on the wrong path, the man freezes. “Who are you? And what are you doing here?” demands the soldier once more. Taking stock of the situation, the traveller pauses before saying, “I will pay you twice what you earn if you will come to my house and ask me those questions each morning.”
Where our identity is based is crucial to us. So many factors can affect it. We are bombarded by messages concerning our identity from infancy, with some more positive and constructive than others. There are other messages, from friends, social media and society that can affect our self-worth. It can be so simple to be sucked into lies about our value or to undersell ourselves with expressions such as “I’m just a teacher” or whatever descriptor you would apply to your circumstances. We can also so easily be lured into negatively comparing ourselves to some external ideal.
In contrast, Psalm 139:14 reminds us that we are “fearfully and wonderfully made.” I wonder what it would be like to truly believe this, to begin each day being reminded of it. Perhaps you can sit with those words for a few minutes. Consider their impact on you and what this tells you.
The question “What are you doing?” can feel almost confrontational. Does it challenge us? Our purpose, like our identity, can feel fragile. It is easy to downplay the roles that we have, and the adverbs of ‘just’ and ‘only’ can too easily sneak their way into our vocabulary when we describe our actions and what we do.
One thing I have noticed more recently is that many of the messages in the Bible that seem linked to purpose are given collectively. For example, the often-quoted passage of Jeremiah 29:11 which says, ‘“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future,”’ was spoken to the group of Jews who had been exiled into Egypt. In our individualistic society, we can forget our purposes are at least partially communal. This is one of the things I like about being part of Ocean Church, where we strive to be part of a community of adventurers, embodying faith through shared experiences. It’s not all down to me – but I am part of a community who are intentionally seeking transformation and have my role to play.
“Who are you? What are you doing here?” We’re back where we started. There may not be a Roman sentry demanding our immediate response but the challenges remain as we grapple them, encouraging us to focus on our identity and purpose. Which leads us inevitably to, how do you answer these questions?
