Identity

This morning I went to a worship service at my sister's camp. It was interesting because there was no real sermon. Five of the counselors shared part of their experiences with those who were there. One of the counselors there talked about the idea of identity and how we define that.

A quote I thought about throughout his talk was this. "Be more concerned with your character than your reputation because your character is who you are and your reputation is simply how people see you." The interesting thing about identity is that much of it is defined by how people see you.

There are certain words I can use to describe myself. I really have no idea what they are though. Right now I'm not sure what I would say about myself. The top of the list would be that I am a L'Arche assistant. If I asked other people what they thought of me, there would be a few other answers.

To some, I am a friend. To one, I am a sister. To two, I am a daughter. I am a niece, granddaughter and a lover. I am a housemate and a student. I am sometimes a musician and sometimes a writer. I am a reader and a lover of words. I think that is what most people would describe me as.

The formation of identity is something very interesting. There is something about it that defies explanation. We don't form who we are deliberately. Sometimes we are completely unaware of how others see us. There is the way that we want to be seen by others and then how we are seen by others. I would like to be seen as a kind caring person, but I know that I am not always that way. I can also be a mean, busy person who doesn't have enough time to stop and listen to the people who need me to.

I'm at the point in my life where many of those who are my age are struggling to form their own identity. We want to form an identity that fits who we are and also who we are going to grow into. we want to define our place in the world, but we also want to be able to change it. Our identity is very difficult and very interesting. There is very little that we won't claim and also very little that we will. We are interested in everything and not wanting to ever limit where we are or what we want to do. Our identity is fixed and yet not.

When you think about your identity. Look at yourself and also at how people see you because that's what really defines our identity.