Identity: Your Voice

Often times when we think about the question of identity, the first thing we think of is an occupation. What am I going to be when I grow up? I know for the longest time that was where my focus was. To be sure, finding a job is pretty important in this world. But when it comes to the question of who you are, I think your job is only a minor part. In fact, I would say how a person responds to their job tells you more about them than what their occupation is.

Identity is defined as "the individual characteristics by which a thing or person is recognized or known." How do you recognize someone? Usually we see their face or hear their voice. Sometimes a person may be recognized by their smell, but that doesn't happen as often ;)

I did a teaching on faith about a year ago. In studying the subject I found an interesting pattern in Scripture. Hearing is always emphasized over sight. Think about it. We walk by faith, not by sight--and faith comes by hearing. Eve saw the fruit, but did not hear God's command. At Mt. Sinai the people heard the voice of God but saw no form. Wolves come in looking like sheep; but we know the shepherd by His voice. Interesting that we can close our eyes but not our ears...yet we seem to follow our eyes to sin and shut out the voice of God.

A person can put on a mask and you won't be able to tell who he is by looking at him. But as soon as he opens his mouth, he has revealed his identity. His voice gives him away.

You're probably wondering where I'm going with this (I'm wondering the same thing). I'll get there, I promise. The Hebrew word for name is shem. It carries the meaning of one's character or reputation. Jeff Benner tracks it back farther by connecting it with our breath. The word ruach means wind or spirit. It is connected to our purpose or mission--a driving force that directs our paths (just as the wind guides the sails of a ship). Both shem and ruach are connected to our identity, who we are. Both are connected to our breath or wind--the motion of the air. Our voice. And to top it off, God, who gives us our identity, gave us life through His breath! Through His Word!

There are two ways to recognize a person. We tend to focus on what our eyes see. One's job. Or social standing. Or their possessions. Or where they live. Or their favorite movie, color, food.... Perhaps these might tell you a little bit about a person, but these things can be masked. They're surface level. To really get to know a person, you have to dig deeper. You have to hear them--hear the voice that comes from a person's core.

What our eyes see is a person's situation--described above. But how they respond to that situation speaks volumes about that person. Do you keep your word? Do you persevere? Are you generous with what you have? Are you merciful? Your character is like a silent voice telling who you really are. You can change your home, your job, your likes and dislikes and your friends won't blink. But change your character and they will know something has changed in you. As my friend John pointed out, it's not What you want to be, but Who you want to be.

One last note...remember who gave you your breath, your voice. Your character should come from God, for only from Him can we have life.