Who do you say that I am?

Yesterday many churches remembered the Confession of Saint Peter.  Jesus had asked him "Who do you say that I am?"  Good old Saint Peter who wasn't always the most articulate of the followers, got this one right without any trouble at all.  "You are the Christ," was his reply.

 

Now this must have been pretty important stuff because this encounter isn't just casually mentioned by one writer.  In fact the story appears in three of the four gospels.  Jesus knew who he was of course, but did others know?  That was important to him.  It may seem odd, but stop and think about it.  Don't YOU want to be known?  I don't mean just your name.  That wasn't the issue here.  You want people to know the real you, just like Jesus wanted Peter and the others to know him.

 

How sad it is when some of us hide who we are because we fear we might be rejected.  Some hide their true identity for other reasons, but whatever makes someone do it, the result is destructive.  We all have a basic need to be seen and known - not necessarily accepted.  Yes, acceptance is certainly a good thing, but being fully known is more important.  What you want someone to accept you as they thought you are, but not as you really are?

 

Think about it.  If you have friends or family who are hiding part of themselves, perhaps you can help them be more comfortable about who they really are.