Identity is the key to living as a person. In the three-dimensional house created by God, the most important and foundational is human ecology. Therefore, the restoration of the collapsed house should begin with the restoration of human ecology. If so, how do we recover human ecology?
The solution to this must start with the restoration of human identity. Today, we live as we live without deeply reflecting on 'Who am I?' and 'What kind of being are we?' In short, we are experiencing identity confusion for a variety of reasons. Human beings cannot stand upright unless their true identity is formed or the identity confusion is overcome. Forming a true identity is the key to living as a person.
There is a short story that reminds us of the importance of forming a true identity. A baby tiger asked the mother tiger. "Mom, am I a tiger?" When asked by the baby tiger, the mother tiger replied, "You are a tiger," but the baby tiger was not convinced. So he went out looking to determine who he was. Leaving the road, he meets an elephant, a goat, and a bear, and asks if he's a tiger. When everyone answered yes, he finally is confident of his identity and returns home with joy. When close to the house, he sees the mother tiger from afar. The baby tiger runs to his mother and shouted, "Mom, I finally know who I am!"The mother hugged him. The mother tiger welcomed the baby tiger and said, "Good job, my puppy!" tapping the baby tiger's butt. At this, the baby tiger again fell into self-identity confusion. It is a funny and sad story for he runs away from home in despair, repeating, "Oh, I am a dog, not a tiger?"
This story suggests that my identity is not given by others, but eventually by myself. It shows that when we are not yet fully aware of our own identity, or when we feel confusion in our identity depending on the situation we begin floating. Therefore, clearly grasping the different aspects of who I am is the most important factor in living my life correctly, and it is the starting point for me to determine the direction of life and live with meaning. Our true identity is revealed in our relationship with God.
In my relationship with God, my true identity as a human being, a truly unique creature, is revealed only when God calls me. At this point, we are filled with infinite self-esteem. Here, self-esteem is not the self-esteem that is obtained because we have something or a certain status, but the self-esteem that comes from the surprise that we exist, and the self-esteem that we are loved free of charge. Only when we are filled with this inner self-esteem can we escape from the desire to prove ourselves by what we do or the attachment that needs the approval of others.
In addition, you can find the meaning of life in every in all situations in which we find ourselves in a true form, and silently carry out the mission and role assigned. Above all, forming this true identity is the foundation for living a worthwhile life, and as the Bible says, building a house on a rock. The boy Jesus, too, at the age of twelve, realized his true identity in the temple in his relationship with God. "Why did you seek me? Did you not know that I must be in my father's house?" (Luke 2:49).
