Thursday, March 17, 2011

I am...I am not



 (This is an updated version of a post I wrote in April, 2009)

During this process of becoming, I have found it helpful to enter a spirit of reflectiveness and take note of who I am at this moment and who I am not. The list is a hodgepodge of sorts...some of it humorous...some of it deep...all of it honest.

I am flawed; I am not hopeless

I am competitive; I am not cunning

I am weak; I am not too weak to admit my mistakes

I am in love with my husband; I am not always kind to my husband

I am a mother; I am not always skilled at mothering

I am encouraged when I remember that Christ is more than enough; I am not suppose to be enough for anyone

I am heartbroken for those who suffer; I am not going to deny the existence of hope

I am sometimes jealous of others; I am not going to thrust myself into the spotlight

I am contemplative; I am not shy

I am joyful; I am not always happy

I am stubborn; I am not unyielding

I am cautious; I am not against spontaneity

I am unintentionally quirky; I am not funny unless I am not trying to be funny

I am in my thirties; I am not able to metabolize food like I did when I was in my twenties

I am adventurous; I am not careless
I am a writer; I am not a singer...or a dancer

I am cute; I am not glamorous or traffic-stopping beautiful

I am fine with the fact that I am not traffic-stopping beautiful; I am not interested in plastic surgery

I am a work of art made by the creator of art; I am not ashamed of my Creator's design

I am loyal; I am not afraid to establish boundaries

I am committed to taking care of our planet; I am not one who worships the creation instead of the creator

I am understanding; I am not going to ignore truth

I am compassionate and merciful; I am not always a good listener

I am emotional; I am not irrational

I am talkative; I am not always going to know the right words to say

I am forgiven; I am not able to forget my wrongdoings

I am gifted; I am not able to do all that I desire

I am a member of the body of Christ; I am not meant to live life just for myself.

I am loved...I am chosen...I am the daughter of the King of Kings; I am not going to hide my true identity.

Who are you? Who are you not?

Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man's gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith. If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully.” Romans 12:4-10 NIV




31 comments:

Carol said...

What a great list of "ams" and "am nots". Terrific!! I am most of those things:

I am in my early 40's; I am not as uncomfortable with that as when I actually turned 40.

I am a homeschooler of 5 children; I am not always the most patient teacher.

I am a work in progress; I am not ever giving up on displaying the fruits of the Spirit as I grow closer to Christ.

Sheryl said...

love your list!!

i am not who i used to be and i am OH so glad.

SusanD said...

What a great reflection of who you are ....and are not. I am most of those too.

I am smart; I am not always able to recall information. (I find this extremely annoying!)

Blessings, SusanD

sara said...

this was a great list...I am going to have to try this!

Sarah@Life in the Parsonage said...

This one here is my most favorite post of yours!

Love it.

Becca~CapturingSimpleJoys said...

I loved this!

I love organization; I'm not always organized;)

elaine @ peace for the journey said...

Love this Angela. The contrasting pairs is a telling story all its own. What I am today?

Emotional but functional! Thank you Father...

blessings and peace to you this week`elaine

Heather of the EO said...

I really appreciated this post. It reminded me of a Beth Moore study, while I was watching the video I was struck with her saying "I am THIS, not THAT." And she was talking about this sort of thing. Believing the truth over lies, not speaking lies to ourselves that keep us stuck.

Great post.

Unknown said...

Great post. I really like reading you list of I am...I am not. Beautifully written!

Heart2Heart said...

I love this list. I will have to think upon some things I am and things I am not. I love yours, however.

I am 45 and loving my life, I am not 18 and wishing I was older.

I am full of experiences of life, I am not unexperienced in everything.

I am full of the will to try new things, I am not afraid to fail.

Love and Hugs ~ Kat

RefreshMom said...

Great list; I would echo many of them. I like your way of seeing what could be a negative with just enough of a different slant that it's not all bad.

Anonymous said...

This is a great list!

Anonymous said...

Awesome list, very thought provoking.

I am striving to be patient, I am not afraid to apologize when I lose my temper with my children.

I am blessed by the many women I've met through blogging, I am probably not ever going to meet most of them in person...and that is too bad!

annies home said...

Love your list of ams and am nots these truly give a resemblance of being human.
thanks for visiting my blog

Beth in NC said...

That is awesome! I'm not talented enough to respond back like that, but I loved your post. :o)

Elizabeth(DitatDeus.Typepad.Com) said...

Wow what a beautiful post! I really needed this today thank you.

Larie Carlice Proverbs 27:19 said...

This is great Angela. Really nice.

Hey, what's up with the essay you entered for She Speaks?

smooches,
Larie

Unknown said...

Love your honesty and creativity.

Winks & Smiles,
Wifey

Kimberly said...

I am really tired; I am not going to pass up telling you how much I loved this post! :)

Okay, I read it earlier today when I didn't have time to comment...but I'm still making sure I come back by to tell you I love it! I could cut and paste so much of what you said and put it up on an "I am...I am not" post on my own blog! :) When's your birthday? Maybe we were seperated at birth. ;)

Kimberly said...

Hmmmm...but you would be the sister who is the better speller, I am sure. ;) That is separated...not seperated. Oh, well. :) Told ya' I'm tired. :)

Anne said...

It has been a tough week for me. A very special friend, Godparent to my children, lost his battle to cancer. It is times like this, when I am under stress, sad, tired, etc...that I tend to be hardest on myself. I feel like I am not enough. Boy did your words speak to me tonight. I know it is ok to not 'be' everything. I know there is aways room for improvement...I know HE is enough. Even though I know all this...thank you for reminding me, in your own way. (What, you didn't write that just for me...that's ok...thanks anyway!)

Such The Spot said...

I am trying. I am not there yet.

That about sums it up for me.

Ms. Wanda said...

I think I will sit with this and make my own list. What a great way to figure out who you were, who you are and who you want to become. Thank you for sharing your list:)

Angie said...

Excellent exercise. Love it! So glad I stopped by today. Thanks.

Anonymous said...

Hi Angela,
I can so relate to your list. Almost every word. Except for the 30 part - but I'd like to start counting backwards now so maybe I can get there again. :)

Sarah Mae said...

Cool list!

I am a mommy, not a perfect mommy, but I stay home and raise my babes for the Lord. I don't have it all together, my house is frequently messy and my hair doesn't always get brushed, but I am not a bad mom.

Lora said...

I love this. I may have to borrow the idea for a blog in the next few weeks if that's ok with you!

Tara said...

Wow, great post. I may have to borrow this idea as well - all credit to you of course.

Fiauna said...

Nice uplifting post. It's so nice to find blogs like yours out there.

Thanks for stopping by my blog. And have a wonderful day.

Karen Hossink said...

This was wonderful, Angela. What a great exercise!!!
Yes, I think I may give it a try some day soon, too.

About Nancy said...

I came across your blog on the Top Blog Christian Parenting site. Your blog is beautiful and refreshing. See you again soon. Blessings!

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...