Who am I?

God, have mercy on me, a sinner (Luke 18:13).

“Who am I?” Many people struggle with this question. “Am I male or female?” “Am I gay or straight?”

We have certain expectations for men and women—expectations about how to dress, how to enjoy free time, how to relate to others. But sometimes a person does not feel comfortable with the role that is assigned to them.

So what happens when a girl wants to play football? What happens when a boy wants to play with dolls? Should women put on a body armor and take point on the field of battle? Should men get married to each other and adopt children?

Some work at conforming to the norm. They might undergo hormone treatment and psychological counseling in order to find contentment with what’s expected of them. Others rebel—they might undergo surgery to make their bodies line up with their self-image, or flout social rules to do as they want. They might even justify their behavior by saying, “God made me this way.”

Sadly, neither approach gets to the heart of the matter. When you ask, “who am I”, Jesus has the answer—you are a sinner. Sin is not just what you do, sin corrupts who you are. God designed us to be perfect; sadly, mankind has become tainted with evil, and that inner corruption gets passed down from every parent to every child. Because of sin, people are born with diabetes and Downs Syndrome, Sickle Cell Anemia and Muscular Dystrophy. Because of sin, some boys and girls have desires that don’t match up with the gender of their bodies. And because sin affects our thinking, we demand certain roles from men and women that are based on human tradition instead of Jesus’ teachings.

Sin messes things up for us, inside and out. But meek surrender and open rebellion solve nothing—only Jesus can sort things out. It starts with trust—trust that He knows what is best for us. It also involves submission and repentance—we need to let Jesus set the direction for our lives, and beg His forgiveness when we deviate from His way. Our Lord loves us and is eager to help—when we give our lives to Him, He will provide the support we need to find happiness and satisfaction as we faithfully serve Him.