What Makes You, You?
Pastor Caleb Womble
What makes you, you? What a question. Take a few minutes before you continue to read and think about that question.
Next, ask yourself, “What have I achieved to tell me who I am?”
Now, you might start thinking:
I’m the one that _______.
I'm the one that, _______.
I'm that __________.
Maybe you’re the one that everybody likes at work. Or maybe you’re the one that has trouble making friends. Does the answer to what makes you, you match the title you give yourself?
Then, there is another question — “am I what other people say I am?” Are you defined by the labels that you have been given in life? Maybe you’ve been called stupid, ugly, fat, un-lovable, never amount to anything, trash, thug, not good enough, etc. Or, maybe you have been given good labels like smart, talented, good looking, etc.
We all have the question of, “who am I?” Then we start defining ourselves by the things we have done right and the things we have done wrong.
You see, the world likes to give you labels.
God tells you who you are.
The world tries to recreate you.
God created you.
So many people today have chosen to define themselves by the things they've done, what's been said about them, or even what's been done to them.
I want to help you discover that the truth of who you are is best discovered by finding out whose you are. It's not about who you are, it’s about whose you are. As believers we are able to let go of our past, our mistakes, and our shame.
How you identify yourself determines how you approach life. You see, if you try to do anything other than please God then you will live this life trying to achieve more, and more, and more. And what's crazy is that living that way will only leave you empty while trying to fulfill something that can never be satisfied.
How do we please God?
1. seek
2. dwell
3. tell
1. Seek God to know Him.
”And you will seek me and find me, when you search for me with all your heart.” — Jeremiah 29:13
This means — you’re going all in. This isn’t a second thing. You’re putting everything you have in to it. To know whose you are, you have to seek God and know Him through His word.
2. Dwell in community.
You have to have the right people around you. Now, if I was to bring a complete stranger in front of you and say, “Hey, this stranger is going to write anything he wants about you in the newspaper.” Well, hold up. Automatically, (if I was you) I would start thinking, first off, this guy doesn't know me. Then,
my mind would start to turn a little bit — what is he going to write? What is he going to say about me? Is it going to be good? Is it going to be bad?
All of this stuff starts getting into our minds. What if we would stop listening to the labels and negative things people speak over us and instead put ourselves in a community that reflects who we want to become? If you start surrounding yourself with people who reflect who you want to become then that would change everything about you.
You were never meant to live this life alone. Proverbs 13:20 says this, "Walk with the wise and become wise; associate with fools and get in trouble.” This scripture proves why church and youth group is so important. This is why getting involved at church and watching who you surround yourself with is so important.
3. Tell your story.
The world is pretty crazy and throws things at us like, you're a nobody or you’re a disappointment. Or, maybe it’s the thought that you have to reach a certain level of success to feel accepted. God's labels tell a better story. His labels tell of what He is doing on the inside of you so that the world can see it. You need to share what God has done for you.
Here are three questions to help you share your story
1. How was my life before Christ?
2. How did I come to Christ?
3. How is my life after I came to Christ?
Your life and your story might be the only Bible some people will see.
So, how do we please God?
1. We seek to know Him.
2. We dwell in community.
3. We tell our story.
Let's Eat some food!
— Pastor Caleb