I Am

A few days ago, I was revising the part of the blog that tells about me.  I said I was a retired social worker and a spiritual journeyer.  Later I thought, "I can define myself in many other ways:  wife, mother, grandmother and so forth.

This time of year we hear from scriptures, particularly the Prophets, many names for God:

Root of Jesse
King of David
    Rising sun
    King of the nations
    Immanuel

And those terms made so famous by Handel:

Wonderful Counsellor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace.
(Isaiah 9:5)

These arw only a few of the ways that God, Yahweh, the Holy One is defined.  Each one provides another facet of Who God is.  I would add several:

Mother, Spirit, Brother, Sister, Friend, Lover, Protector

And all summed up, I think, in I AM.  Remember - “tell them I AM sent you.”

Which description comes closest to how you know and relate to God, to Jesus?  Which one the most often?  Which ones, other times?  I most relate to God as Friend.  At times, God is my challenger; other times, my refuge, my strength, my counselor.

Since we are created in the image of God, I think it must also be a holy exercise to recognize and embrace OUR many names, too; our multiple roles and identities.

I Am: 

Child of God, Woman/Girl/Female, Daughter, Sister, Friend, Student, Wife, Lover, Mother, Grandmother, Creator, Listener, Observer, Learner, Teacher, Counselor,

Worshipper, Elder, Mildred/Millie/Mimi, Grammy             

    And the list could go on…

I think about the names that define me.  I consider this a holy exercise.  How do my names relate to those for God?  What is God calling me to in this season of Advent, in my life, as suggested in my various identities?  Are there some that need to be placed in the background so that others may flourish? Is there one that’s been hiding that I need to call forward and embrace?    I remember:  there is a season for everything, including our various roles.

I also think of how my various roles blend with others.  How we complement each other and work together.  How I respect our differences and our otherness.  How I listen.  How we, together in our corporate I amness create community.  How sometimes I clash with others and must work to respect them, to seek forgiveness and to forgive them - even those I must strongly disagree with or whose I amness seems really wrong to me.  I know that they all are made in the image of God.  We ALL are!

I'd love to have you share some of your own names; your I am...

And always, in all these ponderings, “I am because God is the great I AM!”

Happy Advent.