Who Am I?

That question comes up frequently in many different ways.  Several musicals address it. Today I look at three of them.

In Popeye, the spinach-eating sailor declares, “I Yam What I Yam”.

In Les Miz, former prisoner Jean Valjean asks, “Who Am I?”

Then, in Camelot, there is the shining knight Lancelot whose confidence burst forth in “C’est Moi”.

Identity

Each of these songs centers around a character’s identity and who they know they are. 

Popeye knew he yam what he yam.

Valjean knew he was not 24601 despite what Javert thought.

And Lancelot believed he was nonpareil.

When We Wonder “Who Am I?”

Each of us has a past, a history that helped shape us into the person we are. Some of that is good. Some not so good.

Our life experiences add to who we are, and who we can become. Knowledge gained through the years also comes into play in our development.

We might list off who we are in relationship to others. Wife. Husband. Mother. Father. Sister. Brother. Daughter. Son. Friend. Co-worker. Employer. Employee. Christ follower.

Or we might feel our accomplishments or our jobs define us. Our looks. Our physical prowess. Where we live. What we own. Who we know.

Our Identity

At the top of our Who Am I list, however, I believe we should have Child of the One True King, don’t you? That is where our worth lies, after all.

God is not the Great I Will Be. Nor is he the Great I Was. He is the Great I AM.

Always has been. Always will be.

God, the Great I AM

We first hear God say he is I AM who I AM in Exodus chapter 3. That’s the day God commissioned Moses from a burning bush to return to the land he ran from. Egypt. God assigned Moses the job of leading God’s people out of slavery to a land he promised their ancestors.

In answer to Moses’ excuses why he was not the best candidate for the job, God said to tell the Hebrew doubters, I AM who I AM sent Moses. No more explanation needed.

Sounds a little like Popeye took his song from this verse when he said, “I yam what I yam, and that’s all that I yam.”

It’s Not About Us

Moses, like many of us, looked at who he was. He looked at his strengths and his weaknesses, then decided he wasn’t up to accomplishing what God asked of him.

What Moses forgot, like what a lot of us forget, is it’s not about us. It’s about God.

I AM…able to see you through this difficult season in your life.

I AM…able to help you through the pain of this disease.

I AM…able to sustain you during this loss.

I AM…able to help you overcome this hurt and forgive.

I AM…able to restore the years the locusts ate.

I AM…able to do immeasurable more than you could ever dream or ask.

I Am…able to bring the prodigal home.

I AM who I AM.

Your Turn

When we claim Jesus as our Lord and King, we can proclaim with confidence and boldness exactly who we are. No need to wonder who am I.

We are a child of the King. The Great I AM.

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And God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM.” And He said, “Thus you shall say to the children of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you.’” Exodus 3:14 (NKJV)

I wish you well.

Sandy

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