Who am I?

“Who am I?” It’s just a simple question yet hard to answer sometimes. Yes of course literally, we can answer a LOT of things about ourselves like “I am a woman/man”, “I am 18 years old”, “I am the daughter/son of my parents”, “I am a Communication Arts student”, “I am happy”, “I am dejected” and the like but do you ever think who you really are? Before you became a woman/man, a daughter/son of your parents, a student, or became who you are right now, who are you? To whom did we owe our life? Who created us? Of course it’s God our Father. He created us to become human beings. For without Him, We are nothing.
Last time, we had our discussion in our Theology class about being who we are and it’s just nice to reflect and share those things that I’ve learned. Our professor said that, “We are created in the image and likeness of God”. He created us with embodied spirits. Unlike animals, we humans have spiritual soul. I just feel so blessed and special because we have the capacity to love. I am able to love my family, friends and most especially Him. I am able to love and care for other people even if they’re not my real families. One example of it is when I had a church work in Shrine of Mary, Queen of Peace or what is also known as Edsa Shrine. In their community, they have three clusters following the three-fold function of Jesus Christ. The functions of Christ and the respective community clusters are Priestly (Worship), Kingly (Service) and Prophetic (Teaching). I am proud to say that I once became a part of their community. One of their services is the Kid’s Inn on which provides free day care service to children seven years and below while their parents attend Sunday mass. Working there is like just playing around with the kids and having fun. It’s a very nice and unforgettable experience for me. I didn’t actually think of it as a work because every time I went there, I just enjoy every minute of my stay. I love the kids so much that I feel like they are my own little brothers and sisters. It’s also good to feel that the parents of the children give their full trust on us that we will take good care of their kids. This just proves that we have the power to be God’s co-creators and most especially caretakers of everything. We also have these spiritual powers to know, love and serve God. Just like in my organization Youth for Christ, the first step is knowing God, and when you were able to know Him, you will be able to love Him. And one way of showing your love for Him is by serving Him.
“We are redeemed by the blood of Christ”. When He answered God’s call to be human, he taught the people with His words. And it’s when people started to make Him suffer and sacrifice that He even gave His own life to save those who have sinned.
“We are sanctified by the indwelling Holy spirit”. I am able to love, be patient and forgive others who have hurt me. I have a friend before, a close friend I would say that turned out to be my mortal enemy. She blamed me on something without even letting me explain first what really happened. She easily believed what she had been told by someone without hearing my side, knowing that I am her friend. From then on, she started to do things behind my back. Worst case scenarios happened everyday. She even shouted at my face in front of many people. She always shamed me. But then, despite of all the things she’d done to me, I didn’t do anything against her. I was able to forgive and understand her wholeheartedly. The reason why is that I knew that god is always there for me and God knows everything so He knows the truth which is more important than anything else.
“We are called to be children of God”. We became children of God and we call Him our Father. In order to claim that God is our father is to do loving service which is what I am doing. I serve Him. I let Him make me an instrument for other people to know Him, to show His love and to spread His words. I always do/make things with His guidance because if I let Him, I know that everything will fall into place whether it’s good or bad. One thing I’ve learned in YFC is that everything happens for a reason. Never ask God why but what and where He wanted me to lead.
“We are destined for eternal life with the Father Son and Holy Spirit”. When we experience love, we therefore are experiencing the face of eternity.