I have been working on this post for several weeks but I'm just now starting to get the words to flow. As I was playing our meetings hymns some faces started running through my mind that I haven't seen for awhile. Then a talk I had given in my old branch many years ago came into my mind, which was based off a song by Michael McClean entitled: "I've got to find out who I am."
"The melody's familiar, I've heard this song before
it's been around ten thousand years or maybe even more
And everybody sung it, at least I think they've tried
but even when the singings done, this song goes on inside
I've got to find out who I am, I've got to find out who I am
got to know and got to see what's making me me..."
During that period of my life I was trying to find out who I was and what was making me me. I found myself identifying myself with many versions of me ie. as a wife, friend, nurse, student and Christian. I recently overheard a conversation between two gentlemen in which one made this comment, "my friend married a catholic, so he is catholic by marriage just like I married a Mormon and so I'm a Mormon by marriage." His comment surprised me to say the least. As I reflected on his comment my mind turned to a chapter I had read in President Nelson's new Book Heart of the Matter where he made this profound statement: "...Labels can be fun and indicate our support for any number of positive things. They can evoke memories of important accomplishments and experiences. But not all labels are of equal value. If any label replaces our most important identifiers, the results can be spiritually deadly......if I were to rank in order of importance the designations that could be applied to me, I would say: (First), I am child of God--(Second) a son of the covenant, then a disciple of Jesus Christ and a devoted member of His restored Church...Next would come my honored titles that applied to me...Now let me ask you a question. Who are you?" What a powerful question Who Are You?
The adversary does not want us to truly know who we truly are. President Nelson made this insightful comment: "The adversary rejoices in labels because they divide us and restrict the way we think about ourselves and each other. How sad it is when we honor labels more than we honor each other. Labels can lead to judging and animosity. Any abuse or prejudice toward another because of nationality, race, sexual orientation, gender, educational degrees, culture, or other significant identifiers is offensive to our Maker!” In an conference address last Oct by Elder Christopher G. Giraud-Carrier entitled "We are His Children" Elder Giraud-Carrier shared the story of the woman taken in adultery what the crowd saw and then pointed out what the Savior saw. We with our mere mortal eyes tend to be more like the crowd in seeing the weaknesses of those around us instead of seeing them as a beloved child of our Heavenly Father.
Elder Giraud-Carrier closed his talk with this statement: "French is not who I am; it is where I was born. White is not who I am; it is the color of my skin, or lack thereof. Professor is not who I am; it is what I did to support my family. General Authority Seventy is not who I am; it is where I serve in the kingdom at this time. “First and foremost,” as President Nelson reminded us, I am a “child of God.”6 So are you, and so are all other people around us. I pray that we may come to a greater appreciation of this wonderful truth. It changes everything! We may have been raised in different cultures; we may come from different socioeconomic circumstances; our mortal heritage, including our nationality, skin color, food preferences, political orientation, etc., may vary greatly. But we are His children, all of us, without exception. We have the same divine origin and the same limitless potential through the grace of Jesus Christ."
It is so easy to get caught up in the labels of who we are according to our worldly titles that we forget that "first and foremost," we are all children of a divine Heavenly Father.
"I've got to find out who I am, I've got to find out who I am
and when I do I know I'll be what I can when I find out who I am
I'll be all I can, when I find out who I am"
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