I Am Who I Am
A guest post by Rebecca DeLucia, Next Generation Pastor
In 2015, I was teaching second grade at a small Christian school and our Bible curriculum for the year walked through Genesis and Exodus. During our Bible Reading Plan this week I was reminded of an activity we did together. As a class we were discussing Exodus 3:13 in which God tells Moses, “I AM WHO I AM” and I asked these 7 and 8 year olds what they thought I AM meant. I am so thankful I took a picture of the anchor chart that hung in our classroom the rest of the year (above).
I still get goosebumps reading that list. I remember tears forming in the corners of my eyes as they rattled off who they believed God to be. I remember vividly who named which attribute of God. One whose home life was hard naming God as protector. Another whose dad had a different faith naming God as the one true God. One whose grandmother just passed away and who was experiencing the loneliness of grief for the first time naming God as with them.
As these kids navigated the waters of life, I am so grateful that they had these truths to cling to. I am grateful that I personally can look back at my life and reflect on who I AM is and the ways that I have been freed, just like the Israelites were, because of that truth. I am hopeful that you too have stories to share.
This past Sunday at the Child Dedication class we looked at Deuteronomy 6:4-12. These verses are so dense, we spent an hour talking through them and barely touched the surface and yet they are also so clear. Impress on your children – on the next generation – who God is and how he has kept his promises through the generations. Intentionally reflect on who I AM is and engage with the world and others differently because of it.
A few weeks ago Jacob asked me how youth leaders and pastors always have the perfect story to tell to go with a Bible lesson. I told him, “because we are always looking for God in our stories.” I AM is still showing up in our stories today, maybe not in burning bushes but often in unexpected ways.
Are you looking for him? Are you sharing the stories of how the many aspects of I AM have already shown up in your life? Deuteronomy 6 makes it clear that the faith of the next generation depends on it – but plagues and wilderness are still before us as well – so keep looking for God in your stories. And allow yourself to be surprised by how he shows up.