Identity Crisis

It breaks my heart to see how so many people in North America struggle with their identity. We try constantly to conform to the expectations the world puts on us, our parents, the supermodels, the commercials, the thousands of 'good causes' trying to vie for our money and our time and our empathy, our friends and teachers. Growing up I was constantly told to "get my priorities straight", but at the same time every class I went to seemed to be demanding 120% effort in order to make the grade. A lot of times the results of my efforts didn't seem to match up with the outcome...a project I had sweated over for weeks came back with barely a 60 grade, where a test I hadn't even studied for would come back with a 98. I'd see friends who worked three jobs just to pay for tuition sitting beside students whose parents had paid their way and were wasting their education on parties and social clubs. I'd see completely capable and talented individuals completely miserable because of something someone said about them some time ago. At the same time, I'd see people struggling so hard to do well, and going virtually unnoticed. Sometimes it seemed as if the only way to get noticed was to be utterly and impossibly perfect, or utterly and impossibly horrible. I saw a lot of people snap under the pressure to be perfect, and a lot of people turn to foolishness just to get noticed. I was nearly one of them.

In Vancouver, there is a prayer room where we lift up the Name of the LORD every day. Just as I am one person who has different roles, so the LORD has different names by which He is called. By unwrapping a different aspect of His character, we are gaining a closer perspective of who God is, and it's suprising! I know for me personally, when I prayed to God, I was always praying to the crucified Christ. Christ who died for my sins and the sins of the world, Christ nailed to a cross. But in praying through the different names of the LORD, there were days where I was invited to look at the resurrected Christ, in all His glory and power and strength. Other times, I look to Jesus my Lover, or Jesus the Shepherd, or Jesus the Judge. All of these characteristics encompass who God is and who He has revealed Himself to be, although He is contained by none of them.

The cool thing about praying His Name, is that it reminds me of who I am in HIM as well; If Christ is my Lover, than I am loved. If Christ is my Shepherd, than I am led and protected by his staff. If Christ is my Judge, than I will be judged in fairness and righteousness, because those are also attributes of His character, and if that is not a comfort to me, then I return to Jesus my Lover and remember that He also judges in love. I don't have to try to be perfect, because my God has already made perfect forever those who He is making holy (Hebrews 10:14). All I have to do is listen to what He's asking of me today and remain obedient to what I know in my soul to be right and true as I grow in Him.

Songs of Praise
Isaiah 12

In that day you will say:

"I will PRAISE you, Yahweh!
Although you were angry with me,
your anger has turned away
and you have COMFORTED me.

2 Surely GOD is my SALVATION.
I will TRUST and NOT BE AFRAID.
YAHWEH, the LORD is my STRENGTH and my song;
He has become MY SALVATION!"

3 With JOY you will draw water from the
WELLS of SALVATION.

4 In that day you will say:

"Give THANKS to the LORD,
CALL ON HIS NAME!
MAKE KNOWN AMONG THE NATIONS WHAT HE HAS DONE
AND PROCLAIM THAT HIS NAME IS EXALTED!"
5 SING to the LORD,
for he has done GLORIOUS things;
let this be known to ALL THE WORLD!

6 SHOUT aloud and SING FOR JOY PEOPLE OF ZION,
for great is the HOLY ONE of Israel among you!