麻豆约拍

A spiritual comment and prayer to begin the day with the Rev Carolyn Skinner.

Good morning.

In a powerful TV documentary recently the 4 times Olympic champion Sir Mo Farah revealed that he is not actually Mo Farah but Hussein Abdi Kahin as he was given an alternative identity when he was trafficked to the UK as a child. It is a heart-breaking and horrific story which no human should ever have to go through. It takes great courage and strength to share such trauma so publicly.

Having a strong understanding of our identity is at the core of our sense of belonging and wellbeing. David Benner, a psychologist and author of the book 鈥淭he Gift of Being Yourself,鈥� defines identity as 鈥渨ho we experience ourselves to be 鈥� the I each of us carries within.鈥�

There are many things which help shape our identity: our upbringing, our roles in life, our passions and hobbies. Society often focusses on image, on the external things, but we know ultimately this will fade. A stable sense of self cannot fully exist when we place our identity in external things because that means that when circumstances change, our identity changes too. Many people find their identity in their own story, the experiences in life which have shaped them. Many also find it in their faith and relationship with God. Author Brennan Manning writes 鈥楧efine yourself radically as one loved by God. This is your true identity.鈥� Even Mo Farah said he鈥檚 now starting to understand what it means to be truly himself.

Loving God, may we each know a true security in who we are, resisting the temptation to project a fake image, but finding a peace and contentment in the depth of our being.

Amen