John the Baptist was asked, “Who are you? What do you say about yourself?” (John 1:22) He was preaching of the coming of the Messiah and baptizing those who repented. He was also living in the wilderness, eating honey and locust and wearing goatskins. He may have appeared to people then as a homeless person would to us today. That didn’t bother him.
What do you say about yourself? I have a new grandson that fills my heart with love so my response is, “I’m a grandmother!” People I talk to soon learn about Liam and often are subjected to pictures. But I am more than a grandmother; I am a mother, wife, sister, friend, church member, writer, volunteer and the list goes on. Or I could physically describe myself, as I use to do; I am fat and ugly with dark circles under my eyes and unruly curly hair.
Whether you talk about yourself from a physical, genealogy or educational point of view, what you say is important. Is it positive or negative? I no longer use degrading words to describe myself or anyone else. When John was asked who he was, he went to scripture to find the answer. “I am the voice of one calling in the desert. Make straight the way for the Lord.” (Isaiah 40:3) We can also find the answer in scripture.
We can say, I am:
Fearfully and wonderfully made (Psalm 139:14);
Made and formed with God’s hands (Psalm 119:73);
Loved with an everlasting love (Jeremiah 31:3);
Never separated from God’s love (Romans 8:35-39)
Redeemed and forgiven (Colossians 1:14)
Shown mercy (Nehemiah 9:17)
Promised a future (Jeremiah 29:11)
There are many more scriptures that show us how God sees us through His everlasting love. John was testifying of One that would come after him; we can testify to the One who is with us now.
What do you say about yourself?
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Good words, Nancey. I’ve known you for many years, and i cannot imagine you ever thinking you were fat or ugly. You’ve been beautiful since the first time I saw you, and you just keep getting better. I learned the other day while reading Romans 8:4 that because Jesus completed the demands of the Law, we do the same because His spirit is in us. Wow, what a blessing that is! I hope to see a photo of that new grandson. Bring one if you come to the writers’ conf. in Salem!
I agree with Jane. I think Jon is greatly blessed with a beautiful, wonderful wife. And I too have pictures of two grandkids now–both less than four months old. I thought I had failed my kids and would never have grandkids. Now I feel like I have a banquet of honey and locust. Isn’t our God Awsome?