(Previously Published on Mrs Words Blog)

I’ll never forget the first question that the counsellor asked me, after I finally reconciled myself to the fact that I was really in the midst of depression. Sitting in the office across from him, he asked me this very simple question: “Who are you?”.

Ha! That’s easy, I thought to myself and I starting listing off all my roles – I’m a mother, a wife, a book-keeper, a business women, I volunteer at Church, I… “No!” He interrupts my long list of roles and titles and asked me again: “Who are YOU? Who is Conny Stewart?”

Oh, he must mean, what can I do, I think to myself and then proceed to list my gifts, talents and accomplishments. I’m feeling pretty good about myself in this moment and even start to smile as I tell him all the wonderful things I can do. But, he looks at me with a sad, but caring smile and stops me again. “No Conny, I don’t want to know what your titles and roles are, I don’t want to know what your gifts and talents or even your accomplishments are, I want to know WHO YOU ARE. What makes you you? Who are YOU? Who has God created you to be?

I can remember this moment as if it was yesterday. The feeling of absolute bewilderment. I had absolutely no idea what he was talking about. If you take away my roles and titles, if I can’t give you my list of skills, talents and accomplishments, then there really is not much left. I’m not really anyone without those things. I’m not really important or even enough without those things. In fact, I don’t really think there is anything left. I don’t know who I am at all. I’m a nobody. And then, I burst out crying.

After long moments of tears, lots of snot, (lots of tissues) and heart-wrenching sobbing, I finally felt courageous enough to peak up through the tissues and look at him. It took so much effort to ask in the smallest voice “Who am I then? Please tell me!”. To which he simply said, “You, Conny, are a Daughter of The King! A princess in His Kingdom! A child of God! A sinner, saved by Grace! Intricately created for a purpose, chosen and called! You are loved by God! You don’t need to know anything else, or be anything else other than to know this: God INTENTIONALLY created YOU! The way you are, who you are, all that you are and He looks at His creation and He says that it is GOOD!”

And that moment, right there, was the beginning of my healing. I went away from that counselling session with a new outlook, a new vigour, a new skip in my step, and I spent the next little while reading and devouring all I could about what God says about me and who I am. (I will share more about my journey through depression in the coming months.)

One of the scriptures that stuck out to me at that time has recently been brought to my attention again. It’s found in Ephesians 1:1-2. In the NIV translation it says:

“Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, To God’s holy people in Ephesus, the faithful in Christ Jesus: Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.”

Now, I’ve come to realise that every single word in the Bible is there for a reason. Each word is God breathed and purposed (see 2 Timothy 3:16). If it’s in the Bible, it was meant to be there and it means something. However, that doesn’t mean that we understand everything in the Bible – some of God’s ways, wisdom and understanding will remain mysteries for Eternity or until we meet with Him in heaven.

So, with that in mind, let us explore this passage. I don’t know about you but over the years, as I’ve started reading this book (The Bible), these introductory versus almost seemed insignificant. It wasn’t until I recently, when I decided to study Ephesians that I began to delve into each verse individually. I started to understand the power in these particular scriptures. On top of that, a few months ago, one of the pastors in our church spoke a whole sermon on this exact passage and I was blown away again. By then, I was pretty sure that God was trying to tell me something, or remind me at least.

You see, the thing that makes these two versus so significant is that Paul clearly states WHO he is, WHO sent him, WHAT he is there for, WHERE he is going and HOW he is to go about it. He knows who he is and he isn’t ashamed of declaring it. He has a confident understanding of what he has been called to do, who he has been called by and how he is going to do it. Paul knows that he has been chosen.

The Passion Translation puts it this way: “Dear friends,My name is Paul, and I was chosen by God to be an apostle of Jesus, the Messiah. I’m writing this letter to all the devoted believers who have been made holy by being one with Jesus, the Anointed One.May God himself, the heavenly Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, release grace over you and impart total well-being into your lives.”  (Ephesians 1:1-2 TPT)

And the Amplified like this: “Paul, an apostle (special messenger, personally chosen representative) of Christ Jesus (the Messiah, the Anointed), by the will of God [that is, by His purpose and choice], To the “Saints” (God’s people) who are at Ephesus and are faithful and loyal and steadfast in Christ Jesus: Grace to you and peace [inner calm and spiritual well-being] from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.” (Ephesians 1:1-2 AMP)

You see, Paul was confident in the fact that he was chosen. More so, that he was chosen BY GOD! He knew who he was! It might even come across as arrogance or peacocking to state so blatantly and plainly as Paul has done. I mean, really, what makes him so special? Well, God actually! God made each one of us special and unique and called and chosen. The great thing here is that Paul actually knew it and stated it plainly for all to hear.

He was on a special mission from God to speak encouragement to more of God’s children, to champion them to know who they were and what they had been called to do. Paul was chosen to remind God’s other chosen people to carry on, stick with the plan and to ultimately remind them that they too were children of God, who had each been chosen and called to fulfil the great commission (see Mark 16:15).

Friend, we are those people! We are God’s chosen people. We have been called and graced to make God known in all the world. We are chosen by God’s will. He has uniquely and intricately created you and I, each one of us, to live and be all that He has individually and collectively called us to be (see Psalm 139). You are an important part of the picture in the story. You are a piece of the puzzle, the masterpiece that God has designed and only you can complete what He has called you to do. You are vital, you are enough and you are GOOD! That’s who you are!

So, after reading all that, I have a little challenge for you. I want to ask you the question too – who are you? and in taking Paul’s lead, I want you to write your introduction as he has done. Mine would look a little something like this:

“I, Conny, a devoted follower of Jesus Christ, have been intricately and uniquely created, called, chosen and graced by God, to use my gift of writing and love of words to empower and encourage other people to live life freely and wholly, growing more in love and relationship with God everyday.”

Who are you?