A number of Pastors are teaching on this subject right now – I love when God speaks through many voices!  This post was originally published under a my former blog in July 2011, but the question is just as relevant today.  Enjoy!

I love going to flea markets and yard sales, finding something unique, and then trying out my negotiating skills!  It’s so exhilarating to score a deal! Case in point, last summer a girlfriend and I were out bargain hunting and I picked up the cutest little side table – made of solid wood, well maintained, and the perfect size I needed for a bedside table in the guest room!  They don’t make tables like that anymore, and for that reason alone, it is worth far more than the $4 I paid for it!

The more uncommon something is, the greater its value or worth!

Now let me ask you a question.   WHO ARE YOU? 

From the day of your birth, you have been seeking answers to the timeless question of WHO ARE YOU?   As an infant and toddler, you looked to your parents and immediate family for clues to who you are.  As you grew older, the voices of friends, teachers, employers and lovers gave definition to who you are.

Some of you reading this were shaped by encouraging voices that regularly told you how special you are.  Their words of encouragement continue to inspire you to stand taller, dream bigger, take chances and live life to the fullest.

Some of you were shaped by critical voices that told you in words or by their treatment of you that you were not and never will be good enough.  That you don’t have what it takes.  You are second rate, or worse still – you are worthless.

Which takes us back to that question –

WHO ARE YOU?  Or put another way, what is your identity and what is your worth?

As you pause in your reading to answer that question, pay careful attention to your answer – as your choice of words will reveal much about how you define yourself, and how you define yourself says a lot about how you perceive your value or worth as a person.  And beloved, every single day, you make choices for yourself and for others that are influenced by your perception of your identity and your value or worth as a person.

For the continuation of this conversation and to see the rest of this picture, see “Who Am I? (Part 2)” posting shortly.