Who am I?

In my most favorite topic to talk about (Sociology, duh!) there is a Social Psychological concept about contributing to the world around us. A lot of theories overlap each other in this subject, but I have been thinking about this because of the concern over suicide rates increasing from the Covid 19 Quarantine. One way I enjoy practicing my education is to draw lines between the secular belief systems of sociology and my faith. I believe that God has designed us with intrinsic needs. These are the patterns that sociologists observe in the world around them. We like to find problems, and offer solutions. This is right, and good. But I also believe that the solutions we come up with will not truly heal the brokenness we see unless we offer up the solution of Christ. My question is always "How would Jesus offer to fix this? What would Jesus say about this?"

It seems like others are thinking about contributing and identity too, since many sermons I listen to throughout the week have been addressing the topic of IDENTITY.  Or, specifically, our identity in Christ. We want to know WHO we are, and this is often tied to WHAT WE DO.  

What we do (or if we feel successful at it) is tied to socially constructed goal posts: socio-economic status, volunteer contributions, marital status, sexual identity, home ownership... the kind of car we drive, race/ethnicity... the list could be endless, because it really depends on the culture we have grown up in! Success might be something we call subjective. It depends on what the individual believes about it. 

My very favorite of all the old dead sociology dudes (Emile Durkheim) wrote a whole book about suicide. He discusses reasons a person might try to take their own life. One of the reasons is from feeling disconnected from society. The fancy word for this is anomie. When one does not know what role they hold, or feel like a part of the structure of society, they will become depressed, anxious, and possibly suicidal. 

Being in quarantine, possibly without work or income, and maybe without a community surrounding you can lead to feeling like this. Many are probably questioning their contribution. There are those now who have been deemed essential and those who are non-essential. (Look up labeling theory if you wanna have more sociology fun!)

I have struggled with these thought patterns too. Will I get to where I want to be if I am stuck at home doing nothing? How will I be able to obey the call that Jesus has on my life if I do not have opportunity? Will the Lord still keep his promises to me through this? Did I hear him wrong? Perhaps the dreams I have been chasing were all wrong. Maybe I shouldn't have been wasting all this time. Is God who he says he is? 

It is a downward spiral, when we lose sight of the truth. The truth is that where I am, what I am doing, will not change God. My identity rests in my unchanging Savior. Not in what I accomplish in my day... my week. My life. He makes me good enough. He makes me right enough. And so, what I do cannot change God. What I do cannot change my worth. I am already worth the life of GOD. The beginning and the end, the living word, stepped into flesh and purchased my life with his own. Perfection came for me. That was my price, and that was the price paid. When Jesus bought me on the cross, I became worth perfection. 

Even if I forget. Even if I don't do perfect things. Even if I am mean and negative and spiteful. 

God is good, even if I do not believe it. 

I am redeemed, and made righteous, even if I do not believe I am. 

God's capacity to work wonders is not contingent on the amount of faith I possess.

Take this truth to the ones who don't know. They need to know. We must not forget who we are, and learn to untie the truth of that to what we do. After all, while we were still sinners Christ came for us. We have been saved by grace, not by works, so that nobody can boast. 

This is who I am. 

This is who you are.