Who Do You Think You Are?

That was the sermon title from yesterday!  We read from the gospel of Mark about Jesus' triumphant entry into Jerusalem and then looked at it from a new angle!  Jesus rode into Jerusalem not looking for accolades from the crowd to affirm who he was but with the knowledge of exactly who he was and what awaited him!  Jesus knew he was God's child, and God's nature rested within him and even though he knew many would not like what he had to say or do Jesus was at peace with himself because he was sure of who he was and what his role would be.

Even though Jesus knew that pain, suffering and death awaited him, he stayed his course because he knew that was what needed to be done to further God's kingdom in the world and to help all God's children.  He did not have self esteem - he had esteem for self in God.

And this reminds us that we are not only ALL children of  God but if we are all made in God's image then each of us carries a piece of God's nature within us!  And if that is the case then when you look into the face of your child, husband, friend, neighbor, homeless person, the hungy or sick, you are looking into the face of God!!!!

Who do you think you are?  If you let the world help you decide you will get caught in the web of determining who you are by what you drive, what job you have and what clothes you wear.  If you remember you are a child of God and hold within you the nature of God, then you can face anything life throws at you.  It may not be easy, there may be pain and suffering, but in the end you will live a life that is full and abundant as Jesus' life was. 

As we hit this mile marker on our Journey to Hope, take a moment to look in the mirror.  Do you see a person who is hopelessly caught up in what others say and think or do you see the child of God that you are?  I invite you to write down some of the obstacles that keep you from embracing being a child of God - throw them in the fire, take them to church, give them to God in some way, then keep moving forward on this journey.

A thought by Sven Goran Eriksson:  "To wish you were someone else is to waste the person you are."