Do yOU KnoW wHo YoU aRE?

You have to verify it when you step into foreign territory.

You need it to obtain a heritage rightfully yours.

You must wield it when your whole life comes crumbling around you and you question everything you know. 

It is essential to avoid eventual abuse of self, and mind, and spirit. 

IDENTITY. "The sameness that constitutes the objective reality of a thing; the distinguishing character or personality of an individual" (Merriam Webster dictionary)

If you would research this word in the Greek language, you would find that it is closely linked to the words, "breath", "personality" and "essence". It boils down to your D.N.A. Everything that is essential about you is wrapped up in your identity. We've been so misinformed that many of us could read this and might immediately start thinking our names when we hear identity.

Does anyone remember the name of the woman with the issue of blood spoken of in Matthew 9:20?

How about the widow woman who was deep in debt in 2 Kings 4:1-7?

What about the demon-possessed man in Matthew 8:28 or the ten lepers in Luke 17:11-19?

I won't presume to speculate on why these and so many other hundreds of persons have gone without names. A basic assumption would be that these persons were not important somehow or insignificant to the account being told but that's basic and untrue. They were critical to the point in nearly every single case. I believe that these persons, the woman with the issue of blood, the widow on her last meal, and others were identified more by their situation rather than who they actually were. It had little to do with their name and more about the essence of who they are where it really matters. Sermons have been preached that have been life changing for millions of people and they usually consist of a subject with no name. The only thing we know about many of them is their country where they lived and their affliction. I doubt that's a coincidence. Where you are from and what you are dealing with. Isn't that what people from your past or that casually remember about you anyway? They remember where we come from and what our lives were like. Remember this?

"When Jesus had finished these parables, he moved on from there. Coming to his hometown, he began teaching the people in their synagogue, and they were amazed. "Where did this man get this wisdom and these miraculous powers?" they asked. Isn't this the carpenter's son? Isn't his mother's name Mary, and aren't his brothers James, Joseph, Simon, and Judas? Aren't all his sisters with us? Where then did his man get all these things? And they took offense at him.

But Jesus said to them, "A prophet is not without honor except in his own town and in his own home."

And he did not do many miracles there because of their lack of faith." (Matthew 13:53-58)

That's a pattern that we still find today. Isn't that Irene from 39th St? That's that Reilly boy from Westport! I know her mother. His father is that same guy that can't hold down a decent job. Everybody has a story. But it doesn't have to be the whole story. It is only a moment and a season. 

Do your neighbors really know your identity or do they know you by your situation and your affliction? 

It's really not hard to find someone who will poke their chest out and tell you they know who they are but their frequent speech, their body language, their thoughts, and even their subsequent actions tell a different story. They are consumed by their circumstances and in that seemingly all consuming sphere, they lose sight of themselves. They forget who they are. Have you forgotten who you are? Is your situation so consuming that you have gotten away from your faith? Peter did the impossible and the unthinkable, and yet, when he faced strong winds and heavy waves, and was unable to see his hand in front of his face, surrounded by uncertainty and trouble, he forgot what he was supposed to be concentrating on. He took his eyes off of what mattered and like most of us regularly deal with, Peter began to sink.

I know what it is like to be a witness to a divine miracle and the next moment, I am failing and falling. I forgot who I was. I forgot my heritage. I forgot the promise. 

Once we lose our identity and consciousness of who were are at our very core, we lose something we cannot readily replace. Knowing your identity affords you a prime opportunity to avoid making permanent homes in temporary places.