Be before do

Doer [noun]
1. the person who does something
2. a person who acts rather than just talking or thinking about it
3. one that takes an active part

I am a doer. I love being involved in things. It gives me life. Yet over the past few weeks I've been reminded a number of times that my identity shouldn't come from what I do but instead who I am.

In all honesty, I thought I had learnt this lesson a few years back when I had a ministry change. I was running the young adult ministry at my church and due to a vision shift in our church, it was decided to shut down the ministry. The decision had nothing to do with my leadership but more the direction of our church. I was devastated and really struggled to re-find my feet and position within my church. I'm grateful to my pastors who in that season showed me that I was so valued regardless of whether I had a title or not. Loved regardless of what I was doing. 

So fast forward to 2017, at the tail end of an extremely busy 8 week sprint, why am I emotionally struggling again with where I belong in my workplace, church and relationships? One aspect is definitely the tiredness factor but I don't think that's all of it. I sat down with my mentor and she asked me this question. If you were in a completely new church and no one knew any of your history, who would they say you were? I gave a well rounded answer about all this things I would do. Her reply totally caught me off guard. "That's what you do, but who are you." It's this conversation that has sent me on a journey of working out who am I. What is the foundation of my identity. 

Then this morning my pastor shared the title of this post, "Be before do" in his sermon and I realised that this is probably an issue that so many people face. In today's world, we are faced with so many things that try to define our identity. We are told the way you act or the things you do, make you who you are. To an extent they do but in the journey of life basing your identity things that will eventually fail or change, can leave you with not much to show for yourself. What then?

Here are a few truths that I've discovered over the last few days which have helped shaped me to believe that my identity is found in being a passionate lover of Jesus. It's this identity that motivates what I do. (Because let's face it, once a doer, always a doer)

I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Psalm 139:14
I bring value to the world because I have been valued. Matthew 5:13-16
I am accepted. Galatians 3:26-29
I am loved. Ephesians 2:4-10