Who are you?

The other day I was walking past a train station. Two men walked passed me, and for some reason, they grabbed my attention. No, I didn't notice that they were extremely attractive [even if they were I still probably wouldn't have noticed! Haha]. They walked down the road in front of me and I immediately knew they were business men. They both wore suits, carried brief cases, their shoes were so shiny they could probably see their own reflections if they looked down. Their hair was cut short and smart, they walked tall and confident and they were in deep conversation about something which seemed important. It was obvious, by their appearance, their walk, their talk, that they were in the world of business. Going to meetings, making decisions, managing a caseload etc.

I started thinking about how people viewed me. What do I look like? What is my sound? What impression does my life make?

We all have jobs, responsibilities, roles and families. But, what we do should not define who we are. Rather, WHO we are should define what we do.

So today, I want to ask myself, and you, the question. Who are you? Take a moment to think about it.

My response: I am Leah! I am a daughter, sister, friend. I am a child of God, an overcomer. I am called and chosen. I have a voice. I have influence. I am confident and secure. I choose to live above my circumstances and trust the One who is in control. I love God. I love people. I love life. I want to make a difference.

If your identity is wrapped up in your job title what happened if you loose your job? If your identity is wrapped up in your relationship status what happens when your partner dies, or abandons you? If your identity us wrapped up in the amount of properties you own, or what's in your bank account, then what would happen if you had a financial crisis?

It's not about what we do, who we are us what matters most.

We are called to be light in this dark world, to bring out the 'God colours' in our communities and work places.

When you walk past people, do they sense peace, confidence, trust, hope and joy? Or are we so consumed with the worries of our lives that our lives speak sadness, confusion, doubt, fear and just too busy to help anyone out?

I know there have been times in my life when I have been so focused on what I am doing that I miss what is going on in the lives of those around me. But I don't want to live That way. I refuse to live that way. I want to have a smile on my face, a spring in my step and love in my heart. I want to walk past people and smile and say hello. I want to spread love where there is hate, peace where there is war, joy where there is depression and hope where there is hopelessness. 

I recently set myself a challenge. I don't have a car right now, so I walk a lot of places and see a lot of people. I decided that I would SMILE at EVERY single person I met. I thought it would be easy, as I didn't realise just how many people I walk last! Wow, it's a lot! It has been fun smiling at people. Lots of people smile back, lots don't. Some people won't give me eye contact, they flat out refuse. For those people I usually give a cheerful "hello". They sometimes respond with a grunt, they sometimes look, and I guess sometimes they just don't hear [probably because of the music blasting into their ears]!

Anyway, it has been fun to see people's reactions and also to actively spread some joy around. I know that when someone takes a moment to give me eye contact and smile, it makes me feel like they care.

A smile says; I see you, I care, you are valuable, you are worth something and you matter.

So I am committing to push my shoulders back, lift my head high and SMILE at the world. There is enough rubbish going on, in the news, in our communities, in our world.

Don't let your circumstances or relationship status, or your job title define you.

If you have said "yes" to Jesus, you ARE restored, redeemed, set apart for great things and to make a great impact.

So, wherever you are and whatever you are doing, choose to bring your best and reach out, with love and joy, to the precious people in our world :)