A recent interaction with my son led me to reflect on the messages people receive about who they are. My son asked me why there are so many pictures of him and his sister around our house, and I gave him a simple and true answer: “Because I like seeing you.” I’m thankful he asked because it gave me a chance to make a true message overt. Since then, I’ve tried to embellish the message by periodically adding more words to it.
“I like seeing you because I love you.”
“Seeing pictures of you makes me happy.”
“It’s amazing to me to see how much you’ve grown!”
“You have my favorite face in the whole wide world!”
These are the kinds of messages that I hope will shape how he sees himself. It’s important to me that he knows he is loved and cherished. It’s important because it is true and because it is a message that God speaks to his children, one that parents are then meant to reflect to them.
Messages about who we are—our identity—are powerful. They can shape how we see ourselves, how we see the world, and how we see God. It is a matter that
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