Identity: Part 1

It's alarming how much people rely on their circumstance to define their identity...

"I am a lawyer"
"I am a janitor"
"I am a Texan"
"I am a Marine"
"I am a sunday school teacher"
"I am rich"
"I am poor"
"I am a wife"
"I am a father"

What happens when these circumstances are removed? I got a glimpse of that this week. I went from being a full-time employee who let herself be defined by her work, her productivity... to a bum. I would like to have thought that my job did not define me, but in reality, when it was removed I found myself searching for an identity.

So, what am I? A graduate student? Well, that gets a lot of interest and praise from other people... but what happens two years from now when that is removed... who will I be then? anything different?

Sure, I will be different BECAUSE of my circumstances. But do they define me? I think not.

If I continue to find my identity in my circumstances I will ultimately hit a wall... once I am done with school I can be an "international traveler" or a "world-changer" in my new job... and sure, It will be fulfilling to receive accolades from others. But what happens when I lose my job? What happens if I can't find one? at some point I will probably be a wife and/or a mother... What if that is removed?

An identity reliant on circumstances that will always shift, is doomed! At some point (as I started to experience this week) you won't have any circumstances to rely on!... or at least that you WANT to identify with.

Then you will realize that your identify is so much more. At least, I hope so.



I am a lost and wandering soul searching for love and acceptance. I am a daughter of the creator who longs to provide that to me, if only I would accept it. I am chronically lonely, yet never alone. I am completely hopeless, yet full of hope. I am a walking contradiction.