Who Are You?

Who are you?
How would you describe yourself?

Or one of my favorite questions to ask:
Who are you outside of the roles you play for other people?

Who are you beyond what you do, beyond what you’ve absorbed from others’ definitions of you?
Who do you want to be?
Who were you created to be?
What does God call you?

These are deep questions. Tender ones. They tend to surface during stretches like holiday break, when routines loosen, days blur together, and we feel a little wonky and not quite sure what day it is.

And I wonder if, when we never pause to ask them, when we don’t slow down long enough to curiously wonder and name ourselves, we risk becoming who the world tells us we have to be. Or even more tenderly, becoming shaped primarily by the hard things we’ve been through.

There was much more in that newsletter. That part is for subscribers. What surprised me was how many emails I received in response. More than usual. Honest, brave, thoughtful replies.

So this first week of a new year, I wanted to share these questions with my wider community.

If you struggle to answer them, you are not alone.

And, you are worthy of answering them. You deserve to take up space with your answers and to be proud of them.

As we ease back into routines and real life after the holidays, I invite you to spend a little time with yourself this week. A pen. A journal. These questions.

And if you feel moved to share a piece of your answer here, I’d love that. Courage is built with one another, yes.

And it begins when we turn toward ourselves.