Who gave other people the right to tell me who I am?

Was it my mom? Dad? The cool kids at school? Maybe it was the rich neighbor? The homecoming court? Or my own idiosyncratic psychosis?

The most important beholder of who I am is me. I decide I’m beautiful, smart, witty, generous, compassionate, etc. And nobody else gets that right.

Unless, of course, we’ve given our lives to Jesus.

Then all bets are off.

Because no matter who we’ve decided we are, we’ve underestimated.

No matter how beautiful, smart, witty, and compassionate you think you are, you have nowhere near the idea of your own fabulousness as the One whom you call Lord.

So stop looking for everyone else’s approval and own the only approval that really matters. You have an incredible mind. Use it. Be critical of the culture surrounding us, and the God who watches over us. Quit with the self-deprecation and false humility. You are amazing in God's eyes. Period.

After all, faith means caring less about what people say and more about what God says.

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Reading
Becoming a Blessed Church- N Graham Standish
Evolution of the Word - Marcus Borg

The Triumph of Christianity - Rodney Stark