Who am I?

Who are we? Who have we become? What is our identity? We all have birth certificates, ID cards, passports, driver’s licenses, some form of Identity with our name, surname and ID Number on it, but does it say who we are?

How do we identify who we are? How do we give life to our name, our identity?

A lot of times we get our identity from how we look on the outside, but how we behave, the values and morals we project make the image come to life. Our true identity is an inside job, the foundation of who we are.

Reality is we as humans identify ourselves by the labels we wear, i.e. white or blue collar, rich or poor, fat or thin and the list goes on. Sometimes we look at someone and wish we could be like them, in other words the mirror image we use to determine our identity / self-worth is that of someone else, either in a magazine, a relative, or maybe a friend. STOP it!! You are unique, the only copy of yourself should be the one staring back at you from the mirror. We are beautifully and wonderfully made in the image of God. Stop being a copycat, be an original rooted in God.

God longs for us to know His beauty, but we must choose how to respond to the voices we hear. The voices from without and within skew reality. Hearing God’s voice above the destructive invective is an ongoing struggle. We may never sile

nce the voices, but we can choose whether the voices define who we are. God stands waiting to lead us on a journey to know true beauty, a journey that begins by listening carefully to His heart and gazing into the mirror of His word.

Let us all learn from our Father, that when we leave our mark, our identify on people’s life, it is everlasting. You choose whether it will be happy memories or scars that will hurt forever.

The Tree of Life Concept

The tree of life concept is pretty simple and straightforward. It is a visual metaphor in which a tree represents your life and the various elements that make it up–past, present, and future.

By labeling these parts, you not only begin to discover (or perhaps rediscover) aspects of yourself shaped by the past, but you can then begin to actively cultivate your tree to reflect the kind of person you want to be moving forward.

The stories of our lives are the events we choose to highlight and contextualize, in this post we will learn how to discover and highlight alternate paths through our past–which in turn create new horizons in our future.

Follow the instructions below to give it a try for yourself.

The Tree of Life Exercise

The first step of course is to draw a tree. (luckily I’ve done the work here for you) Just download the tree, print and you set to journey with me😊.

Next, follow the labeling instructions below. If you can only think of one or two things per section at a time, don’t worry about it. The nature of this exercise is that as you complete each step, it unlocks more memories and ideas for other parts. You can skip around and fill things in at any time. The most helpful thing in the beginning is to just write stuff down and see where it takes you. You might be surprised!

The Compost Heap (Optional–But Highly Recommended!)

Write down anything in your compost heap that would normally go in the other sections described below but which are now things you no longer want to be defined by.

These are often sources of trauma, abuse, cultural standards of normality/beauty/etc. or anything else that shapes negative thoughts about yourself in y

our mind. You can write down places, people, problems, experiences.

The Roots

Write down where you come from on the roots. This can be your home town, state, country, etc. You could also write down the culture you grew up in, a club or organization that shaped your youth, or a parent/guardian.

The Ground

Write down the things you choose to do on a weekly basis on the ground. These should not be things you are forced to do, but rather things you have chosen to do for yourself.

The Trunk

Write your skills and values on the trunk. I chose to write my values starting at the base of the trunk going up. I then transitioned into listing my skills. For me this felt like a natural progression from roots to values to skills.

The Branches

Write down your hopes, dreams, and wishes on the branches. These can be personal, communal, or general to all of mankind. Think both long and short term. Spread them around the various branches.

The Leaves

Write down the names of those who are significant to you in a positive way. Your friends, family, pets, heroes, etc.

The Fruits

Write down the legacies that have been passed on to you. You can begin by looking at the names you just wrote on leaves and thinking about the impact they’ve had on you and what they’ve given to you over the years. This can be material, such as an inheritance, but most often this will be attributes such as courage, generosity, kindness, etc.

(Tip: if your tree is pretty crowded by this point, perhaps try drawing some baskets of fruit at the base of your tree and label them accordingly there.)

The Flowers & Seeds

Write down the legacies you wish to leave to others on the flowers and seeds.

(Tip: again, you may wish to de-clutter your drawing by visualizing saplings, baskets of flowers, etc. on which to write these items down.)

YOUR IDENTITY IN GOD – A LETTER FROM GOD

“Before the beginning of time, I knew you. I knew what colour your eyes would be, and I could hear your laughter. Like a proud father who carries a picture of his daughter, I carried the image of you in My eyes, for you were created in My image before the beginning of time, I chose you. I spoke your name into the heavens, and I smiled as its melody resounded off the walls of My heart.

You are Mine. My love for you extends further than the stars in the sky and deeper than any ocean. You are My pearl of great price, the one for whom I gave everything. I cradle you in the palm of My hand. I love you, even in the face of your failure. Nothing you say or do can cause Me to stop loving you. Run from Me, I will love you. Reject Me, I will love you, reject yourself, I will love you. You see, My love for you was slain before the foundations of the sacrifice I made for you at Calvary. When I see every part of who you are, I marvel at the work of my hands, for I whispered words of longing and desire and you came into existence. You are beautiful, and I take pleasure in you, heart, body and mind. You are my desire. When you turn your head in shame and despise what I have made, still I reach for you with gentle compassion. You are my beloved and I am yours.