Identity

"...the fact of being who or what a person or thing is."

I wrote an article called Identity Crisis. Yet this week, this word Identity kept cropping up.

I was working yesterday at a Christian conference which was amazing and challenging. There were over 20 speakers, each expressing their passion, imparting their knowledge, and giving their opinion. It was a lot to take in (especially after only four hours sleep the night before...) and it was an experience which overwhelmed me a bit. 

I think when we're little, we're taught to see the world a certain way. We often adopt the opinions and beliefs of our parents or family members. As teenagers we begin to challenge that a little (or a lot, depending on how rebellious we are). But as adults, we realise that it's not as straightforward; others will hold different opinions and will disagree with us.

Our identities are shaped by all of these things.

I'm not really a proper adult yet. For one, I don't have a proper job - and we all know that's really when adulthood begins. But even the way I see the world is still being shaped and moulded. My identity is still being crafted as I recognise what I want to stand up and fight for. Generally, I'm not a confrontational person. I'm not very good at arguing with others, standing up for what I believe in. Yet my Threads article challenged me as I wrote it. 

At yesterday's conference someone asked the question: "Where is our Identity found?" We're often at a stage where we're choosing where to live, what to do, what job to apply for, what's next. It's easy to think that our identity is found in our job, our location, our extracurricular activities. 

I disagree. It's something more. The fact of being who you are.