Always remember you are a beloved child of God
To quote the late great Mufasa in the Lion King, “Simba, remember who you are.” The lion Simba believes the lie that he is responsible for his dad’s death. He runs away and forgets who he is. In life, it can be so easy to believe that we are defined by grades, sports, social media or what people think of us. But this can’t be further from the truth. God calls us to remember who and what we truly are.
To quote the late great Mufasa in the Lion King, “Simba, remember who you are.” The lion Simba believes the lie that he is responsible for his dad’s death. He runs away and forgets who he is. In life, it can be so easy to believe that we are defined by grades, sports, social media or what people think of us. But this can’t be further from the truth. God calls us to remember who and what we truly are.
The one true king
Like Simba, we can so easily believe that we are defined by our failures. As Simba runs away from his home he forgets his true identity as the son of the king, the true heir to the throne. And like Simba, we can forget that we, too, are heirs to a kingdom. In the story of Jesus’ baptism in the Gospel of Matthew we hear:
“After Jesus was baptized, he came up from the water and behold, the heavens were opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove coming upon him. And a voice came from the heavens, saying, ‘This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.’” (3:16-17)
As Catholics, we are called to remember that our identity is in being a child of the heavenly king. Our Father is a king and in our baptisms we share in this identity of Christ. We receive the same words: This is my beloved child, with whom I am well pleased.
Don’t buy the lie
In this world, the devil wants us to believe that God is displeased or annoyed with us. We can buy the lie that we have to somehow prove or earn God’s love. These lies create so much anxiety, depression and despair in our mental health and relationships. They can keep us from experiencing peace and security, and can keep us from trusting in God as a loving Father.
Not the judge
St. Paul wrote to the Corinthians saying that the lies of this world do not define us. He reminds us to not worry about judgments from others or even ourselves. He says:
“It does not concern me in the least that I be judged by you or any human tribunal; I do not even pass judgment on myself … the one who judges me is the Lord.” (1 Cor 4:3-4)
St. Paul reminds us that judgments from others or ourselves don’t matter. The only true judge is the Lord, and right now he longs to pour out his mercy on us as his children. Paul emphasizes the need to not judge ourselves because he knows how easy it is as humans to be harsh or critical with our own self. God calls us to change our lives and follow him, but he never calls us to be disparaging or harsh with ourselves. God as our Father sees us as his beloved children and wants us to live out this truth every day.
Free gift
No number of good deeds will pay back Jesus’ passion for us on the cross. It’s the greatest free gift of love from God to us. We also can’t lose our identity as a beloved daughter or son of God through any failures or mistakes. With this joy of the Gospel we are free to love and give our lives back to Christ as his Church and his disciples! We are called to remember daily who we are. You are an heir to the kingdom and nothing can change that reality. Embrace the Gospel truth and let your life be transformed by it! Remember who you are.
Adam Cross is a licensed marriage and family therapist in California, and he worked as a youth minister at his local parish for 8 years. Adam loves to integrate the Catholic faith into his therapy practice.
