What an amazing feeling is to be able, at one point of our existence, to wonder about the purpose of our life. To ask our Creator why, if at all, we are occupying space in this awesome universe He created. At an early age of my life I confronted myself with what I thought was a very important question; a question I believe everybody asks or should ask as well, “Who am I?” That age when one starts questioning almost everything one sees or is told to do. That age that I am sure is not the same in everybody’s case since all of us are affected and shaped by the environment in which we lived. That age when one thinks he is too young to be on his own but too old to expect our parents or siblings doing everything for us. I used to ask myself why, and for what, God created me. That was long before knowing Him as my Lord, but I knew about His existence and felt privileged that such a Creator took time, to make out of simple and ordinary matter like dust, a unique and very special being. It may sound as though I am bragging or that I think too much about myself, but the truth of the matter is that when I was presented with the biggest blessing in my life, to know Jesus, God’s one and only Son, I realized I was in fact, somebody special to Him. Special because God sent Jesus to die on the cross so that I would have the opportunity to change my life, which otherwise would be lost in a world that had long forgotten its Creator. A world full of people just like myself with no identity and without a clear vision of what the future could bring.
There is a time in our life when we feel like a void keeps filling our thoughts, we know we exist just because we have a privilege, we think we deserve, to wake up to live another day, a day that will go by without being able to find a purpose or drive to fill our existence to face this new adventure called “tomorrow”. Then, the new day will be here before we even realize it and most of us will live in it just as we did yesterday but ignoring or not wanting to accept that another one is just turning the corner to come before our own eyes. Most of the time the issue of having days, weeks, and even months passing by becomes a very scary fact that will start frustrating and making our lives miserable.
Knowing our Lord loves us that way gives us the sense of security every human being needs to keep going in life. |
Not knowing, or ignoring, our true identity will sometimes cause us to think we do not deserve what we have, hindering our willingness to pursue better things or will make us question our value, if any, which would further hinder any effort to get our life to a better state than the one we find ourselves. Life goes on, and no matter how much we complain, the clock will keep ticking and the days coming. As we age, the meaning of that true identity may become a magnificent tool for tracing a path that, if properly followed, will give us the chance to change the way we see, not only our lives but also the lives of those we love and by whom we are loved.
Knowing who we are through God’s love will change the purpose of our existence, and through Him, provide us the power to change the lives of those around us. That knowledge will truly transform our families, hence, our churches and societies. We have heard many times that “knowledge is power,” and I truly believe that whenever we realize who we are in Jesus we will be vested with such power that will guide us, through the Holy Spirit, to transform the rest of our lives and that of those who may be blessed enough to cross our newly empowered life.
Throughout my years, in my walk with God, I noticed this question was one many of my brothers and sisters in Christ have had as well. Although, many of them did not care to find the answer. We get used to living a life which we think is best for us, which may result in not caring enough to pay attention to the circumstances surrounding our existence or to even think about the life we might be living in the near future. Why not choose to be sure that in God we are, as He promises throughout the Bible, somebody with many values. Through Him we are able to contribute to make our society a better place to live in, showing every one of our neighbors and friends what God has to offer. Reading through the marvelous pages of the Bible, the Lord shows us in the 1st letter of the apostle Peter, chapter 2, verses 9 and 10 what I think is one of the biggest revelations we as His children can find in His written word.
1 Peter 2:9-10 (NASB) But you are A CHOSEN RACE, A royal PRIESTHOOD, A HOLY NATION, A PEOPLE FOR God’s OWN POSSESSION, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; 10 for you once were NOT A PEOPLE, but now you are THE PEOPLE OF GOD; you had NOT RECEIVED MERCY, but now you have RECEIVED MERCY.
These couple of verses contain some of the most powerful explanations about who we are, and will guide some of us to finally find our true meaning in life. Through this reading, we can understand that the Lord is telling us that we are a very important part of a chosen race formed by people from all over the earth. That we are a group of people not determined by their skin color or place of birth; people that may not have any earthly common ground but with a lot of common spiritual matter. Just to know we are part of this special race should make us feel that sense of belonging, which most of us have been longing for since we were very young. A chosen race or simply defined as God’s children.
On top of being part of such a special race, the second part of verse 10 shows us we are graced by receiving God’s mercy. Knowing our Lord loves us that way gives us the sense of security every human being needs to keep going in life. So God not only chooses us but also filled our lives with His mercy so as to not only help us but above everything else, to save us. Save us from what? You may ask. Save us from our own destiny that, without knowing who we really are, was marked to be full of frustration, deception, and sadness. A destiny different than the one God had planned for each one of us since our very conception. A destiny that because of Adam’s sin was altered, but that now, through God’s mercy, we are able to correct and get back on the right path. A destiny full of opportunities and blessing that only a Father like our Lord can assure we may have as long as we follow His perfect directions and instructions. A destiny that will end us up in glory when He takes us to live with Him for eternity. It is upon us to allow God’s process thru His Holy Spirit to take us to that destiny thru this marvelous adventure called life.
By now, we have to realize that in Jesus we are not only a special breed but in reality, we are the one true breed created by God. |
Now, as mentioned in verses 9 and the first part of 10, we know we belong to him. Not only did He make us part of that special race and fill our lives with His mercy, but He also decided to make us His own. We understand that as Creator He owns everything, but reading through these verses, and realizing that He took the time to save us from that place in which we were lost, tells us we really are special to Him. He wants to develop a personal relationship with us, one that will last forever; one that will fill every inch of our lives with joy, one that will hold us whenever we are falling; one that will encourage us whenever we feel unable to accomplish anything, one that, again, will give us that sense of belonging we need to keep moving forward. Praise the Lord for such an amazing blessing to be His chosen ones. Special race or breed, however, we want to put it, the reality is that once we invited Jesus into our lives we were set apart from the rest of humanity to become His children, the Bible tells us in the book of John, the first chapter and verse 12 “But as many as received him, to them gave the power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name (KJV)”. Making us His children gives us the trust or security for which many of us have been searching. Being His sons gives us the right to be part of that “special race”.
Furthermore, we are part of a “royal priesthood.” The priest in the Old Testament was a special man, chosen by God, who would hear the problems from the people once a year, and, he will be the only one with the privilege to come and talk to God about such problems. People would have to wait an entire year to be able to tell this priest their problems. Now thru Jesus, we do not need to wait for a year, nor we need to tell anybody about those problems so they can be told to God. This means we have access to the King Himself with no need for a middleman. God has given us that Mediator for us to get to Him directly through Jesus Christ. Isn’t this amazing? God has given us access to Himself, the Father, and through Him, Jesus His Son. This may sound a little complicated to understand, but this is pure power. The Holy Trinity in action, the Father opening up to us through His Son Jesus, so that with the guidance of the Holy Spirit we can come to Him whenever and however. When I read in the book of Psalms, chapter 40, verse 1, I find a very powerful promise, “I waited patiently for the Lord; and he inclined unto me, and heard my cry… (KJV)”. Can you imagine the King of Kings paying attention to our cry, even to the point that He inclines to hear our need or even our own requests? Hard to believe, but we must as it is a written promise given by the Lord Himself. Now, it is interesting to note that for this promise to become a reality we need to be patient, which in many cases is not an easy task. To learn how to be patient we need to exercise our faith on a daily basis or need to go through plenty of challenges, as the book of James in its first chapter, verse 3 says, “Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience (KJV)”.
By now, we have to realize that in Jesus we are not only a special breed, but in reality, we are the one true breed created by God. This fact alone, I believe, can take any fear away from our lives. Not knowing who we fill our being with fear to the point that it impairs our ability to see and do what the Lord so designed for us. He wanted for us to live fulfilled and blessed lives. If at any point we had doubts about who we were, now we can be sure of what an amazing being the Lord created in each one of us. No one in the entire world is like us; we are unique, hence special. The Bible tells us in the book of Psalms, chapter 139 and verse 13, “For thou hast possessed my reins, thou hast covered me in my mother’s womb (KJV)”. As for me, I can say that I have found what my true identity is, and now I can teach my children who they are as well, and for that, I praise my Lord.
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Rafael Humberto Gomez, Born in Colombia, South America in 1965. The Lord saved me at the age of 19 and since then I have experienced His power in all areas of my life. I am a Civil engineer and surveyor working full time at a local construction company. I have been married to Cristina for almost 26 years. She is a wonderful woman whom I have always thought of as an angel sent to me by God. By God’s mercy we have two boys; Andres who is 14, and Samuel 11, who have filled our life with all kinds of blessings. I have been a member of the Iglesia Bautista Hispana of Arlington for 24 years and, with my family, I have served the Lord as Deacon and now as Pastor.
