Who Does God Say that I Am?

A few weeks ago, I woke up with this scripture on my heart:

Matthew  16:13-17 NIV says:

When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is? They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?” Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven.

It reminded me that if people misunderstood who Jesus was, I shouldn’t allow myself to be hurt when people misunderstand or mislabel me.  If we’re honest, the 12 disciples who walked with Jesus didn’t FULLY understand who He was while they walked with Him.  Even when Peter answered correctly, His actions later in Jesus’ earthly life (denying his acquaintance with Him on multiple occasions) showed His uncertainty about who Christ was.  When things hit the fan, those who were closest to Him weren’t 100 percent sure of who He was while He lived.  It wasn’t until after His death and resurrection that His true identity was fully accepted by them.

With that said, I can honestly say that I’ve been given titles that don’t always describe the heart of who I am.  I’ve asked, “But who do YOU say that I am?  You’ve walked with me.  You know me.  What do you think about me?”  There have been times when I have been dissatisfied with the answers given.  And that is ok.  My new question has become “Who does God say that I am?  And is He pleased with me?”  In my spirit, I know that the answer is yes.  I know that He sees me through the blood of Jesus and He is daily making me more in the image of Christ.   I have growing and maturing to do, but during the maturation process I am confident that God looks at me and smiles—regardless of what anyone else thinks.