Who Am I?

I often pray: “Lord, what would You have me do?”  And very often I hear His answer, as He gives me opportunities to serve Him.  I await and look forward to those opportunities, often through the people He puts in my path, and most often through my new awareness of their needs, which I try to fulfill.

Sadly, we are often not aware of our own REAL needs.

In the gospel of Matthew (19:16-22), the rich man asks Jesus “What should I do?”  And Jesus answers him: “Obey the commandments.”  But the man asks further: “What else can I do?”  And Jesus answers that he should give up all his riches and follow Jesus.

And the young man found this too difficult to do, because he was like the Pharisees, who couldn’t see beyond the Law and ways of life familiar to them.  Jesus’ answer to the rich man was not just another thing for him to DO, something which HE could accomplish.  Jesus answered who He wanted the man to BECOME.  “Be a follower of me; partake in My life; do not be anxious.”  Jesus wanted the man to make God’s priorities his priorities.  That is who He wished the man to be.  It is who He wishes us all to be.

“Lord, what would you have me do?” is not the most important question for us to ask of God.  “Lord, who would You have me be?” is the most important question.  And to check how we would respond, we must ask of ourselves:  Who am I?

Where is your heart?  What is important to you?  What things are your priorities each day?  Are you only looking for things to do, like the calls of work or society or even Church rituals?  Jesus showed us what is at the heart of all those things:  He wishes us to BE who He made us to be, as He is, wherever we are, and to whomever we meet.

Following God is not just following rules.  The rules don’t change.  Throughout our life though, we are meant to change, to grow in holiness, to become ever closer to God, until we are with Him.  This is a hard lesson to take to heart, to never be satisfied with who I am today, but to constantly yearn to be better tomorrow --- and yet at the same time say:  “Jesus, I trust in You.”  And proceed with the confidence that He is with me on my journey.