HENRY PORTER

"The only thing we knew for sure about Henry Porter
is that his name wasn't Henry Porter"
– Bob Dylan, Brownsville Girl

Funny how we tend to define ourselves by what we're not, until we become Henry Porter; until the only thing we "are" is the thing we are not; until we look in the mirror and the face looks familiar but we can't remember the name. Like the Pharisee Jesus told about, praying "Thank you, Lord, that I'm not like this tax collector", and then defining himself by the miniscule things of the Law and neglegting the "weightier matters" — finding identity in outward actions hiding an empty void.

When the essence of who we are is defined by what we are not, who are we then? Self-made orphans, ephemeral wraiths blown around by the wind. In the words of Psaslm 29:6 (NLT): "We are merely moving shadows, and all our busy rushing ends in nothing".
But do not despair. David offers great hope in the very next verse: "And so, Lord, where do I put my hope? My only hope is in you".

When your definition is taken up by what you are not, it is time to change the focus to what you are becoming: "So all of us who have had that veil removed can see and reflect the glory of the Lord. And the Lord—who is the Spirit—makes us more and more like him as we are changed into his glorious image" (2 Cor 3:18).

You don't have to be only what you are. Or what you are not. You can focus on becoming like the One who rescued us "from this present darkness". That's an identity worth striving for.