Who Am I... REALLY??

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

laminated cards that many of them wear on a lanyard around their necks. Honestly, sometimes we feel a little odd repeating the same values week after week and we find ourselves wondering if the students are actually “getting it”.

This Wednesday as we were preparing for our weekly discipleship group with the 7^th-9^th 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 8^th 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.