Who are you?

By Rennie Phillips

I was checking Facebook the other day when I came across a post that caught my eye. So I shared it with my friends on Facebook and went on doing life in general. I was drying some beef jerky so every now and then I'd go check the jerky so it didn't get too dry. I was also looking for a specific Christmas present, checking the prices and guarantees and shipping charges and such. So later on I came trolling back to the page on Facebook where I'd posted earlier. This time it not only caught my eye but kind of caught my mental attention. "Don't change yourself so that others will like you. Be yourself so that the right people will love you."

I got to thinking how many times we dress to get other's attention or we cut our hair or dye our hair or even get tattoos or rings. We do all this and many more. Some probably go to college and some stay home and work. Some go into the service and some rebel. Some do drugs while others smoke and do all kinds of weird stuff. I wonder how much of this is to get attention and how much is really us?

When we first moved to Scott City and I began to pastor I wore dress slacks and button shirts and a tie now and then, especially on Sunday. I tended to wear a jacket on Sunday. But I didn't like the dressed-up image. I got to thinking did I become a different person when I put the dress clothes on or was I the same one on Monday in the jeans? I came to realize that I needed to be the same person on Sunday all dressed up as on Monday in jeans. No difference.

I remember growing up we seemed to wear those lace up high top tennis shoes. They were those dark blue blue jean canvas material. It didn't seem like we got more than a pair a year so when we got a new pair it was special. Those new shoes made one feel like one could outrun a race horse or jump higher than a deer. It was as if those shoes put a spring in our step and lifted our spirits. The shoes didn't change who we was on the inside but it sure changed our outlook right then.

Kind of like when we take an old pickup and work on revitalizing it. The one thing I could do was change the oil. Not too difficult on the old pickups we had way back when. The one we used a bunch I think was an old 49 GMC three-quartrer-ton pickup. Amazing how that old worn-out pickup would seem to run better after we'd just changed the oil. Probably in reality it didn't run one iota better. Now if we'd changed the plugs and the plug wires, now that would have made a difference. Used to change the rotor and cap and points and such. Always amazed me how it seemed to make it run better with just an oil change. I think changing the oil had more of an effect on me than on the pickup.

So who are we really? Who are you? Really an important question for me. Years ago I volunteered to be the chaplain for the police department here in Scott City. But about the same time the SC Police Department began training volunteers to be reserve police officers. The training consisted of at least 120 hours of in-house training. We studied and trained and finally were sworn in as reserve officers. But some of the police officers wanted to know who I was on the inside. When I put on the badge and the gun and the uniform was I a preacher or was I a reserve officer? Their life just might depend on who I was!

It's just as true for those who attend church. Are you the real deal or just one that acts like a Christian? Some can walk and talk like a Christian and that's about all there is. Some though are real. One who stands out to me was a dear lady who used to attend our church here in Scott City. Alma was a saint dressed up in a dress. When Alma said she was going to pray for you she did. And one thing about her was you knew God was listening.

Most of us when asked who we are we will answer a plumber or carpenter or pilot or whatever our job or vocation is. And this is pretty well true, but most of the time we need to look further or deeper. A friend of mine is a cook and mother and wife and home maker. But she is more. She is a bonafide bridge player and teacher of bridge. She is a friend. She is a fellow believer. She has a heart of gold. So who is she? Who she is rests totally on her inner qualities.

One of these days most of us will quit plumbing or ranching or even gardening and then who we really are will be left. A couple we know who lives in Jackson both retired and then began volunteering at one of our local hospitals. Another friend of mine retired and now spends his time gardening, volunteering at a local American Legion and spending time with family and friends. My one sister finished raising her family of seven kids and then lost her husband. Now she spends her time visiting with friends, spending time with her kids and grandkids and enjoying fellowship over cups of coffee.

Who am I? I've done a lot in my years here on this earth. Raised on a ranch around cattle and horses, went to a one-room school, went to college, worked around million dollar horses like sons and daughters of Seattle Slew and Secretariat, pastored, gardened, etc. But who am I? I enjoy company but I also enjoy solitude. I enjoy a quiet cup of coffee as the sun sets. I enjoy visiting with family and friends. I enjoy visiting with God as I share my concerns and praises. I enjoy time with my wife and kids and grandkids. I enjoy spending a quiet time with our dog and our cats and our steers.

So in all honesty, who are you?