Happy New Year!

“New year, new you” is a phrase that I really don’t like this year. Yes, the new year is here, and it is a great time to try and do new things, but a new me?!? I am really content with who I am and how God made me. Am I perfect? No. Could I stand to make some changes? Yep, you betcha. At my core, I’m still me.

What does that look like? How do you answer when you are asked, who are you?

I usually start with the roles that I play – wife, sister, aunt, daughter, preacher, pastor, teacher, friend, advocate. These roles are some of the most important parts of my life – my family, my job, my joys! Then I dive a little deeper – and look for the things/people/places that feed my soul. As a wife, I love watching and being a part of the things that make my spouse happy. As a sister, I love my role as an aunt and sharing the love that our family has with the next generation. As an aunt, my greatest joy is empowering these kiddos to be the best versions of themselves they can be. As a daughter, I do get some joy (and a little stress) is caring for my parents the way they have cared for me over my lifetime.

As a pastor, preacher, teacher, friend and advocate, I love connecting with the things that make my heart sing. I am blessed that my job is more than just a job – it is truly a calling. From lighting a candle to invoke the Holy Spirit to sitting by the shoreline and watching God’s spirt move among the water, I am the most attune to me when I am aware of the Spirit’s work. Others might call it a higher power, or something else, but to me it is God. It is God’s breath, the same breath that brought the dry bones to life in Ezekiel, that causes that spark that renews and refreshes. It is God’s breath that fills my lungs with a life and love like none other.

So, I am curious – who are you? How would you answer this question? What roles do you play in this life? What connects you to your spirit?

This idea for this post struck me around my birthday last month. My wonderful spouse and I talked about what to do for my big 40! We wanted to do something special that was just for me. My default is to do what others feel is fun or good or easy. I’ll tell you – do something for you, for your identity, your spirit frequently. While the winter months up north preclude us from doing what I really wanted to do (go to the beach somewhere), I was still able to be with people, have fun and celebrate this big day!

The other thought that inspired this post was our upcoming series at church – Im Perfect. We are going to spend a few weeks in 1 Corinthians and look at Paul’s relationship with this early church – a church not unlike our current one – imperfect and yet still called by God to do wondrous, life-changing things. I can’t wait.