Who do you think you are?

(photo courtesy of 123rfphoto.com)

I woke up the other day with "The Who" in my head...."Who are you?"

I blame it on a four year old.
At our National Night Out, little Jordan with the Rock Star t-shirt came up and announced to me very enthusiastically that he was going to be Spider Man for Halloween.

"I have Spider Man socks too!" he shouts.
"That's so cool! I want her socks!" I replied, pointing to a pre-teen girl with braces and black polka dotted knee highs.

Then he caught me off guard.
"Who are you gonna be?"
"I'm sorry, what?"
"Who are you gonna be?"
"Oh! For Halloween! I haven't decided yet. I always wanted to be Wonder Woman, but again, my bracelets don't really repel bullets like they used to."

I don't know why I thought he would see the humor in that.

He stared at me like any sane four year old would.
Politely he said, "Oh."
I know he was thinking, "Whatever, lady."

But I woke up with "The Who" in my head, wondering who I was?
I really want to know.

The first thing I remember wanting to be was a singer. (Not that I can, I've just always loved music)
When I saw the stage come up from underground at Adventure Land Park with a band singing "Celebrate Good Times," I was hooked.
Well, that, and I really, really, really wanted to live with the Partridge family.

When the birded bus failed to show up, I decided maybe a Dairy Queen worker? (I used to love the smell of that place...back when it was just ice cream)

Airline stewardess? (I had a Barbie Airplane and loved the cute skirted outfits & plastic food trays..and yes, Ken looked like a dream in his pilot uniform.)

Next a cop, like Angie Dickinson in Police Woman. (She was a crime solving, bad guy getting hottie)

Then a writer. (Everyone said I should be. I was good at it. And I loved it.)

Next, a Super Hero. ( I actually planned a Super Hero wedding once where I was Wonder Woman and married Batman or Superman...I can't remember which....now, I'm just too afraid to fly.)

So, who am I, really??
I wondered.

I'm an author.
Though "Pig's Big Adventure," is not on the NY Times list and I've gotten a little discouraged quite honestly about the number of sales.

Real estate broker for almost 22 years now.

Mother of three daughters.
Daughter.
Sister
Granddaughter
Aunt.
Friend.
Ex-wife.
Ex-girlfriend.

Excellent.

It's important to know who you are.
John the Baptist, the crazy haired, bug eating, "Jesus is coming!" messenger guy knew who he was.
And who he wasn't.
"Who are you?" the Jewish leaders asked.
"I am not the Messiah."
"Well, then, who are you?" they asked. "Are you Elijah?"
"No"
"Are you the prophet we are expecting?"
No.
"Then who are you? We need an answer for those who sent us. What do you have to say about yourself?"
There are different translations for his response, but I love this one best.
"I am thunder in the dessert."
"I am the voice in the desert shouting...Prepare ye the way for the Lord!"

Sometimes when you're in the desert, it's just nice to have the hope of the sound of thunder.

Later, when Jesus showed up, they questioned him relentlessly as well.
He tried to explain in John 8, "If you won't believe I am who I say I am, you're at a dead end of sins. You're missing God in your lives."

"Just who are you anyway?" they asked again.
He tried to answer, but they ended up basically calling him crazy and trying to throw stones at him.
But, Jesus knew who he was.
They just didn't want to believe that he was the son of God.

I wonder sometimes if he wanted to chant back at them loudly, "Stick and stones may break my bones..."
Or maybe an urban version of, "YOU DON'T KNOW ME!!" with a sharp head bop.

Some days it's hard to believe that we are everything that God says we are.
I am a child of God.
I am justified.
I am qualified.
I am an heir.
I am the apple of his eye.
I am redeemed.
I am chosen.

I am a woman with dreams, knit in my mother's womb who God knew and created to love him and do good works.

Some days I don't do so good.
And that's when I remember who I really am...a sinner, saved by grace.
That's who I am.

Who are you? Who? Who? Who? Who?
I really wanna know.