This is who I am and I like being me

This is who I am, and I am perfectly fine being me……..

This is who I am: I am 58 years old, as of 2018. I have no problem with my age. I do not desire to be a young man again, or pretend that I am still a young man. I enjoyed being a young man when I was a young man. I am grateful for all the experiences I had, both good and bad. They helped to shape me as I lived through them. That does not mean that I always enjoyed them, in the sense that they seemed pleasant at the time, but I know that there was a reason for them, and they formed me. I do not currently desire to be an old man. That will come soon enough and I will be appreciative of all that I am allowed to experience when that time does come. I do not fear it, and I do not hasten it. I am not afraid of death, because my God has promised me that my physical death is not the end of my existence. It is a doorway into the resurrection life that He has promised to all who have saving faith in Jesus Christ. I do not necessarily like the physical changes that come with getting older, but I accept them as a normal part of life. I do not try to ignore them and pretend that they are not happening, because that is just foolish. I do not fear for my provision when I am an old man, because God has taken care of me my whole life, and has always provided me with what I need, when I need it, and I know that, in my old age, that will not change. My needs will be different then from what they are now, and I believe in faith, based on God’s faithfulness to me thus far, that those needs will be met. All that is assuming I will live to be an old man, of which I have no guarantee. If I do not live to be an old man, that will be ok too, because I am not afraid of death. I do not desire to die early, but I do not fear it if that should happen. I try to live my life in such a manner as to be prepared, whenever that time might come.

I am, what the world’s language calls a white man, or caucasian. I have no problems being a white man, and I do not accept the guilt for things that white men have done in the past to other people. I was not there and I did not participate in it. That does not mean I condone those things, many of which were abhorant, but I do not have guilty feelings for things that other people did, over which I had no control. As a white man, I do not feel superior in any way to people of other racial or ethnic origins, and I harbor no ill will towards anyone who does not have the same racial origins that I do. I believe that all human beings are basically the same, the differences being mainly cultural in how we do things. I am not privileged because I am a white male, and I think the ideology of white male privilege is nonsense. If persons of other racial or ethnic origins harbor resentment of me for being a white man, something over which I had no control, that is a reflection of their own unfounded prejudice, an no reflection on me or my character. The only thing I, and everyone else, have any control over is my own character, the condition of my own heart, and my state of mind and belief. I have no control over how anyone perceives me, or perceives the world and life in general. All I can hope to do is speak truth to the best of my ability, and be a positive influence to others. I have no control over how another person responds or reacts to any of that, as long as I am not intentionally and maliciously doing thing to bring harm to others and deceive them.

I am a heterosexual man. I have always been romantically and sexually attracted to females. I have no problems with my sexual identity, and have never been confused about it. I bear no ill will towards others who do not see things from this perspective. Admittedly, I do not understand gender confusion, and I do not understand how people of one gender can be sexually attracted to people of the same gender because I am not that way. That does not mean that I do not value them as human beings. I believe all human beings should be treated with the same respect, value and generosity. I am no one’s judge and have no desire to be. I do believe that the Word of God speaks to these matters for those who care to align their lives to what the Bible reveals as God’s order. I seek to love all people unconditionally, as much as I am capable of doing so.

I am a Christian. I believe the Bible is true, and it is my guide for life. I am not ashamed of this. I believe that in the Bible, God, our Creator, (and yes, I believe I am created, not the product of evolutionary chance,) has revealed Himself to us in the person of Jesus Christ, the eternal saviour of all who come to Him in faith, believe what He says, and live by it, and receive forgiveness of their sins through His shed blood on the cross of Calvary. I believe that all men are born with a corrupt nature, a bend in them that propels them to go away from God. This is the result of our first parents rebellion against God. I believe there is NO other way to God other than through Jesus Christ. That does not mean I disrespect people of other faiths and religions, I just happen not to agree with them. I make no apologies for this. I treat all people the same. I am no one’s judge in respect to who is, and is not saved. Only God knows a person’s true heart. I live by what I believe the Bible teaches is the truth. If others choose to believe differently, that is their choice, and I will not, because of that, fail to treat them with the same dignity, value, respect and generosity that I would give any other human being. I believe, that because of God’s grace, it is possible to love everyone unconditionally.

I am a United States citizen. I love my country. I believe the United States was founded on solid, God inspired governmental principles. That does not mean I agree with everything the government does. The government of the United States has become horribly corrupted by evil men and women who do not have the citizen’s best interest at heart. I do not agree with everything that has transpired in our nation’s history. A lot of evil has been committed, a lot of mistakes have been made and we have a lot of ugly blots in our history that I am not proud of. Nevertheless, I think it was founded on solid principles, and I am priviledged to live hear. I do not say that in pride, I say it in gratitude, because there are a lot worse places in the world to live. While I do believe that our country was founded an good, solid, God inspired principles, over the course of time, we have strayed very far away from these in many ways. Our country was founded on the principle of limited government. The Federal government was supposed to be limited in its scope, under the principle that most things can be handled in a more practical manner on the local level. This has gotten way out of control. Much could be written on this subject, but I will leave it at that for now.

Having stated all of this, all of the above does not define who I am at the core of my being, it merely places me in certain categories for the purpose of identification and definition. I am not ashamed of, and I do not apologize for any of this. I am a being made in the image of God to reflect His character, and His glory in all things that engage me during the course of this temporary life I live on this earth.

I believe that all men and women can find greater liberty and freedom then they do not fight against what they are, and they do not judge others for what they are. That does not mean that we should not seek truth in all things, and make those changes in our character that make us better people.

This is who I am, and I like it. You are who you are, and I like that too.