“Identity is the thief of your real self.” 
Recently I lost my wallet. At first I was quite distressed and got caught up in the horrible possibilities of my imagination. Doing the right thing, I cancelled the credit cards, alerted the police and sat down thinking about the whole deal. As I contemplated my next move a quiet voice whispered in my head, “why agonize, you lost a collection of ideas you think you are?”
Abruptly my mind chatter stopped and my heart open with compassion to what really mattered.
We get caught up in things, ideas, concepts, and attach meaning to these beliefs. We consider who we are to be our property and hold this privacy sacred.
With today’s technology it seems nothing is sacred. Our earth body needs an identity, but our real self is far beyond the name in wallets and purses. Whatever we think we are serves us for a time until we evolve and grow. Whenever tragedy strikes in your life it is a good idea to remember you are more than the concepts you have of yourself. As human beings we are very resilient and that is why we continue. We are expressions of an infinite presence that is beyond our concepts.
You are not your name, job, the thing you do, nor your body, or the purpose you desire for your life. Your true identity cannot be lost or stolen for you participating in the continuum that is everlasting. You are a unique expression of spirit; living through you is a consciousness of infinite possibilities. You are made in the image of love, intelligence, compassion and joyful creativity. Looking out from the Spirit part of you, all challenges become material to work with. Each day becomes an exciting journey that begins with gratitude and ends with clearer understanding of this love we live in.
Below are some simple ways to stay focused on your true identity:
* Developing an attitude of gratitude for all you have now, even as you lose things. See your experience as part of an unfolding you cannot perceive.
* See all your so called “problems” as challenges to procure knowledge and wisdom.
* Hold all material things lightly. Enjoy all your possessions without being attached to them.
* Remind yourself that nothing is permanent. This too shall pass. When emotions come to take you down, see it as passing weather and allow it to come and go like the rain.
* Constantly move your thoughts to your authentic self, which is spirit from divine dwelling in form.
* Step out of your minds concepts of how things “should be.” If something is gone, it’s gone. Accept what is and be open to a new and exciting perspective.
Finally, take responsibility for what has occurred. Everything happens for a reason. As I collected my wallet credentials, wading through my birth certificates brought me closer to my earth origins grounding me solid on earth. Every now and then we all need a gentle reminder of where we came from.
By Chris Emmanuel
