Who are you really?

Who are you… really?  Are you just our son, brother, grandson, friend?  Are you just a 17-year old young man?  Are you just Autistic?  Or with Learning Difficulties and Epilepsy?  

Yes, James, you are all of these things, but are you just what people see you to be?  Are you so much more than you seem?

Yes, James, you are!  Here is what and who you truly are:

You are made in the image of God:  “So God created human beings in his own likeness.  He created them to be like himself.” Genesis 1:27a

You are amazingly and wonderfully made:  “How you made me is amazing and wonderful.  I praise you for that.  What you have done is wonderful.  I know that very well.”  Psalm 139:14

You are eternally loved by God:  “I have loved you with a love that lasts forever.  I have kept on loving you with a kindness that never fails.”  Jeremiah 31:3. You bring God’s flavour to all you meet:  “You are the salt of the earth.”  Matthew 5:13

You are God’s child:  “Some people did accept him and did believe in his name.  He gave them the right to become children of God.”  John 1:12.

You are Jesus’ friend:  “I am the vine.  You are the branches.  If you remain joined to me, and I to you, you will bear a lot of fruit.”  John 15:5a

You are full of joy and made right with God:  “And that is not all.  We are full of joy in God because of our Lord Jesus Christ.  Because of him, God has brought us back to himself.”  Romans 5:11

You are at peace with God:  “Those who belong to Christ Jesus are no longer under God’s judgment.”  Romans 8:1.

You are a joint heir with Jesus of God’s kingdom; a Prince:  “We will share what Christ receives.”  Romans 8:17

You are on God’s side and he is on yours:  “What should we say then?  Since God is on our side, who can be against us?”  Romans 8:31

You are inseparable from the love of Jesus:  “Who can separate us from Christ’s love? …No!  In all these things we are more than winners!  We owe it all to Christ, who has loved us.”  Romans 8:35…37.

You are God’s temple:  “Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple?  Don’t you know that God’s Spirit lives among you?”  1 Corinthians 3:16

You are one with Jesus in spirit:  “But whoever is joined to the Lord becomes one with him in spirit.”  1 Corinthians 6:17

You are part of the body of Christ:  “There is one body, but it has many parts.  But all its many parts make up one body.  It is the same with Christ.  We were all baptized by one Holy Spirit.  And so we are formed into one body.”  1 Corinthians 12:12-13a

You are the sweet fragrance of Christ to God:  “God considers us to be the pleasing smell that Christ is spreading.”  2 Corinthians 2:15.

You are a saint:  “I am sending this letter to you, God’s holy people in Ephesus.  Because you belong to Christ Jesus, you are faithful.”  Ephesians 1:1

You can do anything through Christ’s strength:  “I can do all this by the power of Christ.  He gives me strength.”  Philippians 4:13

You are completely forgiven through Jesus:  “Because of what the Son has done, we have been set free.  Because of him, all our sins have been forgiven.”  Colossians 1:14

You are complete:  “Because you belong to Christ, you have been made complete.” Colossians 2:10a. You are a child of light:  “All of you are children of the light.  You are children of the day.”  1 Thessalonians 5:5

You are Jesus’ brother:  “And Jesus, who makes people holy, and the people he makes holy belong to the same family.  So Jesus is not ashamed to call them his brothers and sisters.”  Hebrews 2:11

You are holy, you are chosen:  “Holy brothers and sisters, God chose you to be his people.”  Hebrews 3:1

You are a son of God, and Jesus protects you:  “We know that those who are children of God do not keep on sinning.  The Son of God keeps them safe.  The evil one can’t harm them.”  1 John 5:18.

That, James, is who you are… you are amazing!  You are so much more than you seem, you are so much more than what people see.  You are loved so much more than you can possibly imagine, and are valued more than all the gold and jewels on Earth…

Mark Arnold, Director of Additional Needs Ministry at Urban Saints. Arnold blogs at The Additional Needs Blogfather. This article was re-published with permission.