Who Am I… REALLY??
At Source of Hope we have four “I AM” statements that we use
as teaching points during our class times and devotional times throughout the
week. They are “I am clean”, “I am chosen”, “I am a child of God”, and “I am
powerful”. Each student at the school has
a copy of these statements on a set of
The four "I AM" Statement cards |
This Wednesday as we were preparing for our weekly
discipleship group with the 7th-9th graders, Juanita, a
third-grade student, walked into the missionary office. Juanita often pops in to “help” us set up for
devotional times or just to hang out after school for a bit. Like many of our
students Juanita comes from a difficult family situation and she has faced numerous
obstacles in her short life. A few years ago, Juanita’s father was murdered,
and her mother abandoned her when the burden of raising her and her siblings
became too great. Juanita came to the village to live with her aunt and started
attending Source of Hope.
Playing Games during Discipleship Groups |
As Juanita was “helping” us prepare for the discipleship
group, I explained to her that we were going to be talking about our
identities, and more specifically our true identities (who God says we are).
So, I asked Juanita… What is your true identity? Who are you REALLY? Without
missing a beat, Juanita started rattling off the four “I AM” statements and telling
me that she is a child of God, she is clean, she is powerful, and that she is
chosen. Hearing those declarations coming from her mouth made me stop in my
tracks.. and made me realize…
YES. THEY ARE GETTING IT. Despite all that she’s been
through, she KNOWS WHO SHE REALLY IS. Despite all the other “identities” she
could assume… abandoned, rejected, unwanted… she knows that her Heavenly Father
loves her with an unconditional love and will NEVER reject her. He’s revealing
His heart to them.
Susana is currently in 8th grade at Source of
Hope. Susana’s father abandoned her and her mother shortly after Susana was
born because Susana was not born a male. Her father wanted a son, not a
daughter. Growing up, Susana has struggled with feelings of worthlessness and
her identity. She blamed herself and thought of herself as a mistake. However,
Susana tells us that today she KNOWS that she is NOT a mistake. She KNOWS that
she is a chosen child of God and that God has a plan for her life. Susana wants
to graduate and study to become an attorney. Susana says she wants to help
fight for children’s rights. She wants fathers to be involved in their
children’s lives, and she feels that her experience with her own father will
help her relate to others in similar situations.
Two Precious Daughters of the King |
Often times, like Juanita and Susana we let ourselves be
identified by our family situations, a painful past, what others say or have
said about us, our jobs, our educational levels, or many things that are often
outside of our own control. However, our TRUE identities lie in WHO GOD SAYS WE
ARE…. He says that we are His children, we are loved, our pasts are forgiven,
we have purpose, we are not mistakes, and that we have a future. Let us cling
to that identity despite what the other voices may say. Let us remember our TRUE
IDENTITIES and who we REALLY ARE.
Thank you for taking the time to read my blog. I hope it
ministers to your heart, as it ministers to mine as I write it. Thank you for
being with me on this journey.