Chaplain: Who am I?

By Wayne Mason, Harry Hines Memorial Hospice chaplain

If you were to ask your closest friends to describe who you are, what would they say? More than that, what would they tell you that other people say about you? Not many of us would take the risk of asking someone to honestly describe us to our face.

I marvel at the fact that Jesus did ask those questions. Jesus asked his disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?” (Matthew 16:13) The answer was amazing. They started telling him that people thought of him as equal to the Hall of Fame individuals from Jewish history. They rattled off the names of John the Baptist, Elijah, Jeremiah or one of the prophets. The people saw in him the highest, most honorable character.

Then Jesus put on the spot the most outspoken of all the disciples, Peter. “But what about you? Who do you say that I am?” (Matthew 16:15) Peter gives a profound answer to Jesus, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” (Matthew 16:16)

Back to the original question – how would your closest, most honorable friends describe you? Would they say that you are the most trustworthy, the most honest, the most compassionate, the most Godly person that they have ever met? Would they say that they would place their lives in your hands and trust you to never fail them?

Prayer: Lord God, help us to reflect your highest qualities within our lives. When others see us, may they also see Jesus living inside us. Amen.

‍