Self-Discovery

Discovering yourself and who you are never happens when you want it to. It's also never as easy or simple as you want it to be. Of course, you can intentionally try to walk the road of self-discovery, set out to determine right then and there who you are, but those paths are often filled with wrong-turns and almost always end in dead-ends. Think “No Outlet.” One does not simply decide to discover who he is and that which makes up his life. We cannot determine in an instant who we are, for it is our life that does so.

In looking back, we find that our memories and experiences are the very things that shape who we are. The struggles we face, the doubts we have, the love we share, and the roads we walk all form a part of our being. The sum of our experiences forms our identity. We are shaped by them, molded by them, influenced by them, and changed by them. In a sense, we are them... the good and the bad. Every decision, every choice, and every moment had a collective hand in leading us to this moment, to who we are today. And we are not alone in that.

We have all been afraid. We have all been lonely. We have all run away from the light. We have all forgotten to love when it counts. We have all failed to show grace in another’s time of need. We have all failed to do the right thing. These moments are not unique to our own identity, but what point is there in living if we cannot learn from each other? What is the point if we cannot support each other in our time of need? What is the point if we cannot recognize the shared human experiences of failure, disappointment, doubt, and disbelief? Each of us has a story, and that story is not meant to be locked away in secret, but rather, shared with others as a testament to who we are and from where we have come.

In learning from the past, it is then that we find who we are. And even if we do not like the picture we see or the path we’ve carved, we can all rise up from the ashes. We can always relight our candles, even those blown out from the winds of life. And, as Natalie Grant reminds us in her song “The Real Me,” we can all mend the tattered fabric of our lives into a beautiful tapestry.

Paz y amor,

JMF