What defines you?

I've been at CATALYST over this past week. If you ever get a chance to go, I highly recommend it. It is usually the first Wed. - Fri. in October. It is held at the Gwinnett Center and is two full days of speakers and worship. It is actually billed as a Christian Leadership Conference. Truly incredible!

I thought that my blog would focus on what I learned at Catalyst and I would share all of the amazing things that happened there. However, that is not exactly where this blog is headed. I'm sure that all of those amazing things will come out over the course of several post.

The inspiration for this blog actually came from what Todd and I call, "Trashy TV night." Every Sunday night Todd and I watch Desperate Housewives and then I watch Brothers and Sisters. Be careful, don't judge me because of my guilty pleasure. I actually learn about relationships from these programs and gain insight into society.

Enough background...on with the show. Towards the end of Brothers and Sisters, Kitty (Calista Flockhart) tells her husband (Rob Lowe) that he did not allow is heart attack to define him and that she would not allow her diagnosis of cancer to define her. I was truly struck by this statement.

I am sure that this is not some new idea that I've come up with, but for myself I would like to examine this question. "What defines me?" I'm sure that throughout ones life this is an ever evolving answer. You may be some one's child or sibling, some one's friend or significant other, some one's boss or employee, some one's spouse or parent.

Think about it. When introducing ourselves to someone new, we often connect ourselves with someone. I know that in a school setting I am Dane, Olivia or Jake's momma depending on who am talking with. In the community I might be Todd's wife or Young and Penny's daughter-in-law. In Blackshear, I'm Sara and Leon's daughter or Ben and Matthew's sister. I might even be Irene's granddaughter or Cassie or Laurie's niece. Family certainly defines who we are.

Our occupation and accomplishments often defines who we are, as well. Todd could be defined as the broker/owner of Century 21 Winnersville Realty or the Joy Group leader at the House Of Joy. He could be defined as the past president of the Valdosta Board of Realtors or Azalea City Kiwanis Club. Leadership Lowndes or the United Way board position could also be a part of his definition.

How often does our church affiliation define who we are? Especially in the South we are known by the church we attend. Are you a member of Park Avenue, CrossPointe, Solomon's Porch, Morningside, Northside, Crossroads, First Methodist, First Presbyterian, First Baptist, or St. John's.

As the characters from last night's TV shows, you could be defined by an illness or an accident that occurred. You could be the one fighting cancer or the cancer survivor. You could be the heart attack victim or survivor. You could even be defined by a crime that happened to you or that you committed.

All of us have things in our lives that could define us. Some of these things are good and some of them not so good. But the key to it is we have a choice. We can choose what defines us. We can decide what we want to cling to as our identity. Sometimes it doesn't feel like we have a choice, especially when the defining thing happens to us. We are a victim. However, we don't have to be defined by the evil of this world.

Jesus Christ lived and died so that we can have a choice. We can choose our definition in the shadow of the cross. His sacrifice was so that none of us have to be victims or defined by anything more than His grace. It is enough.

At Catalyst I roomed with a girl that helped me refine my definition. Someone asked how we knew one another. I gave a very worldly explanation. She simply said, "We both love Jesus!" What a wonderful way to be defined!