‘You are “gods”; you are all sons of the Most High.’ …Psalm 82:6 (NIV 2010)

Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in your midst? …1 Corinthians 3:16 (NIV 2010)

Question of the Day: Who Do You Think You Are?

This is a very simple question that determines our entire fate and destiny in life. This is the question that lies at the center of “self esteem” and “identity.” The answer to this question determines whether we live a life of purpose and success or whether we spend our life as a “wannabe.”

Many years ago, I heard Oprah Winfrey tell the story of taking her early morning run in Chicago and stopping for coffee at the same place each day. On one morning, there was a attendant who took her order and when she told Oprah how much she owed; Oprah said, “Put it on my tab.” The lady looked her straight in the eyes and said, “And Just Who Do You Think You Are?

This question is often used by people as gossip (good spit) or a put down when talking about other people, “Just ‘WHO’ does ‘SHE THINK’ she is?” This question tells us more about the hidden feeling of insecurity of the person asking than the person being gossiped about.

People who place no value on themselves (self-esteem) are always looking for someone to feel better than (superior to) or to blame for their own feeling of inferiority. They feel that by putting the spotlight and questioning the thinking of someone else they cover their own insecurity about who they think they are.

The question of “Who do you think you are” starts with the beginning of life. Think about it…where did the “life” and the physical body come from? Right now there are over 6.88 Billion Human Beings who came to “life” on this earth with a physical body in exactly the same way as I did. How unrealistic would it be to say that I had more right to be alive and live anywhere on Earth than anyone of those other human beings.

We are all children of the same creator of “life” and as such we share the right to all the abundance of this Earth.  We also share the personal responsibility of respecting the rights of all other Human Beings.

The first five years of life are spent learning “Who Do You Think You Are” from the surroundings of our birth. The circumstances of our birth place and our birth family tell us “Who they think they are” and teach us to have the same expectations and beliefs about life as they do.

Unfortunately these same influences often teach from their own fears and limitations. The old saying that, “Life gives us what we settle for” is very true. You are “Who You Think You Are” and if we settle for being limited and always looking for someone or something to give us value; we will be at the mercy of those giving handouts and hand me downs.

How often have we heard someone ask a child, “What do you want-to-be when you grow up?” The answer that a small child gives is very different from the answer given by an older child who has taken on the value and expectations given to them by their surroundings. If we accept that human value depends on meeting those expectations, we will live as “wannabes” always striving to fit in and be acceptable.

So many of us confuse ” Who We Think We Are” and become “Humans Doing” rather than “Human Beings!”

So again I pose the question, “Who Do YOU Think You Are?” Because you are right!

If we think we are man-made artificial people born to live a hard life in a certain social class with limited means always striving to have more so we will be better…that is what we are. And know that there is always someone out there who wants to tell us who we are and what our acceptable place on Earth is.  (If you doubt this, turn on your television)

Those who believe in a class system (caste system) thinking that human beings must be controlled and kept in their place are the same people who place a monetary value on human life believing that people are disposable.

If we think we are all created equally as Spiritual Beings, we know that with Life, we receive the same presence (presents) of unlimited potential, intelligence and creativity. We know that we have the freedom and right to choose now to live in a world of Peace, Power and Prosperity.

So the question becomes, “Do You Know and Love Who You Are?”

Love, Light & Lots of Laughter…Joa

joa@joacarter.com