Who are we?
Fiona Reynolds
April 16, 2024
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John 21: 7-9 (NRSVA)
7 That disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, ‘It is the Lord!’ When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on some clothes, for he was naked, and jumped into the lake. 8 But the other disciples came in the boat, dragging the net full of fish, for they were not far from the land, only about a hundred yards off.
9 When they had gone ashore, they saw a charcoal fire there, with fish on it, and bread.
Who we are often determines how we notice God’s presence and how we respond. How well do you know yourself? How easily do you recognise the patterns of your life and your responses to events?
Some people admire Simon Peter launching himself into the water with uncontainable enthusiasm, desiring to get to Jesus as quickly as possible. I am more likely to be one of the unnamed disciples in the boat, looking at him with a mix of confusion and annoyance… “Why on earth is he putting ON clothes to go into the water?!” … and “That’s right, leave the rest of us to haul the boat and this heavy net back to shore!”
Who we are — our unique gifts, skills, quirks, tendencies, passions — determines how we notice and respond to God. It can also impact how others see God in and through us. Such truth can become a burden, if we let it. Instead, if we see it as a liberating grace — as a gift to be truly who God made us to be — we allow ourselves to embrace our full selves, to the glory of God!
Prayer:
Dear God, who knows me better than I know myself,
there is much about myself that I do not like…
like Paul, I too often cannot act as I want to,
and get stuck in a cycle of doing what I do not want.
Give me the insight to discern the parts of which I must let go,
and the parts that are from you:
fearfully and wonderfully made.
Give me the ability to love myself—
all of myself —
as you do.
And let me love my neighbour, likewise.
AMEN.
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