Who Am I?

Isn’t it amazing how one’s identity is wrapped up in something that is, when pondered upon, not at all who the person is? I’m talking of the most of us whose identity is wrapped up in what we do for a living. We identify ourselves, examine ourselves, assess ourselves, and pass judgment on ourselves based on whether we work or not, and what we do.
Right behind our names when we are introduced to someone is the question, “What do you do?” The answer helps to identify us as white collar/blue collar, intelligent/dim-witted, educated/unlearned, outgoing/introverted, driven/bored, and a host of other identities that we work hard to protect and/or improve upon.
Now, it’s a little difficult for someone to know this unless that someone has had work taken away and has to live sans the crutch of a job. Even going to school or being a stay-at-home parent is an acceptable “job” for an adult in this day and age. But to just do nothing is, well, somehow beneath us.
And maybe that’s part of the issue with how I feel at the moment. I am unemployed; therefore I am not contributing to society. As a result, I have no value to anyone and feel helpless and hopeless as I wander through days of looking for work, hoping someone somewhere will validate my worth and offer me a job.
Yes, yes, I know that those of you who know me and know that I am a Christian are thinking that I should know I have value to God and to others…family and friends. You are thinking that I should be satisfied in that, and to an extent, I am. I’m not sure what I would do without family, friends, and faith. It’s tough enough as it is. I can’t imagine going through this without the support of those who love me and accept me for who and what I am…other than my vocation.