Ever been asked this question? Just who do you think you are? Teachers used to ask me this, and add “young man.” But if you were given ten words to describe yourself what would they be? Funny? Dull? Insanely good looking? Thin? Formerly thin? Smart? Perky? Engaging? Who are you?

When I was young, I defined myself by the things my body was capable of. I was a decent athlete. I could lift things, throw things, and flex things. These days, when I lift things, I tend to throw things...out of joint. And the things I used to flex are well, in flux.

As a lad, I defined myself as a hockey player, a baseball player, good with a tennis racket. These days I tend to define myself more by relationships, or what I can do with a pen, with words. I’m an author, speaker, husband of one, father of three, sampler of my wife’s fine cooking. These are roles that I play. Important roles. But is this who I really am?

A man from Japan learned that he had no idea who he really was. Born to wealthy parents, the man, who has requested anonymity, grew up in poverty after being given to the wrong parents in a hospital six decades ago. After the man he thought was his father died when he was two, he was raised in a family that was dependant on government handouts. He studied at night school, worked day shifts, and clawed his way to steady employment. He never married, and now works to take care of three men he once believed were his blood brothers.

The other infant who was given to this man’s biological parents grew up rich and is now head of a successful property company. Questions were raised when his brothers realized that he bore little resemblance to any of his relatives. The family requested access to hospital records and DNA tests confirmed the mistake.

A court ordered the hospital to pay the poor man 38-million Yen (about $393,000). “I might have had a different life,” he said. “I want the hospital to roll back the clock to the day I was born.” “The mental anguish he went through was enormous,” said the judge.

Imagine the life he could have lived were it known who he was, and who he belonged to. My heart goes out to him. But here’s the truth: so many of us live our lives now, just as he was. Unaware of who we truly are. The Apostle John tells us in First John 3:1, “See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God.”

Who are you? Through faith in Jesus, you are a child of God today. You are not what you do. You are not your circumstances, or your failures, or what has been done to you. You are certainly not who you once were. You are a new creation. Creator God’s Spirit lives inside of you, and is working through you. And if He is for you, nothing can stand against you. So look up, and take hold of your immeasurable heritage today.

One of the quickest ways to lose your joy is to forget who you are and whose you are. And who are you? Well, here’s just a start from the Bible. You are God’s workmanship, His child, loved, redeemed, forgiven, protected by God, blessed, filled with God’s power, a joint-heir with Jesus, more than a conqueror through Him who loves you. You are chosen, purchased by the blood of Jesus, you are free. Isn’t that amazing? If that doesn’t light your fire, your wood is soaking wet.

We are rich when we know who we are. And better yet, whose we are. Getting this changes everything. No, it won’t bring my twenty-year-old body back, or my awesome tennis serve. But that’s okay. It fills this old body with lots of joy, and loads of laughter.

Phil Callaway is a speaker, best-selling author, and host of Laugh Again Radio. Check it out at laughagain.org