Bobservations: Who Are You?

Typically, around this time of the month I get pretty excited to share with you either some insights into the church’s finances or something that’s been on my mind that I think will be helpful for personal finances. Since the COVID-19 pandemic hit, so much of what we normally do has been altered. That’s why last month I thought it would be helpful to share some practical tips on how to prioritize your finances, especially if you are in crisis mode. You can read that post here if you missed it. Like so many of you, this extended time at home is forcing me to watch, listen, read, and engage in ways that I usually don’t, at least not in a long time. That’s exactly what happened one Saturday morning recently while enjoying a cup of coffee and channel surfing. I stumbled across the movie “Overcomer,” made by the same team that created “War Room.” There is a scene where the main character is asked the question, “who are you?” That question has stuck with me for days as it can be a tough question. I get that we all wear many hats. We could be a parent, a spouse, a child, a student, an employee, an employer, an athlete, a millionaire, a prisoner, a veteran, a Christian. Most of the time, we are many of these all at once. But what happens if everything you thought you were was stripped away? As a parent, what if your children were suddenly gone? As a spouse, what if you were unexpectedly single? If wealthy, what if you became bankrupt?

Are you defined by your career? Per April 16, 2020 data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 3.3 million Californians have filed unemployment applications since March 14.

Are you defined by your wealth? Bloomberg reported that on February 12, the Dow Jones was at an all-time high of 29,551, but then on March 16, the Dow dropped almost 3,000 points in one day taking it to a low of just above 20,000.

Are you defined by your relationships? According to Psychology Today, a study shows that after Hurricane Hugo hit, divorce rates were higher than usual. In the city of Xi’an, applications for divorce have risen sharply after the COVID-19 pandemic.

Who are you? For those who follow Christ, Ephesians 1 gives some keen insight into who we really are:

• We are blessed – Eph. 1:3
• We are chosen – Eph. 1:4
• We are blameless – Eph. 1:4
• We are redeemed – Eph. 1:7
• We are forgiven – Eph. 1:7
• We are children of God – Eph. 1:5

We are living in a time where we can lose sight of what’s really important; I know I have. As the stock market rises and falls, as our home values climb only to plummet again, as our relationships require more work than we thought, as we recognize that our families aren’t as perfect as the photo we posted on Instagram, can I remind you that is not who we are? As followers of Christ, we are children of God.

If the idea that you are adopted into God’s family is new, or you would like to know more about what it means to be a child of God, we’d love to help you. A safe first step is to join us for our live stream on Sunday mornings (you can click here at 10:30 AM). We are currently in a series entitled, “God Is” and together we are (re)discovering the character of the Creator.