Creative ways of exploring who the Bible says I Am

I did this as a personal activity last month, and have been exploring ways we can explore it together as a family, as it’s a great activity to explore identity. I’ve shared it with a group of children’s workers, as I really felt that the more we know and are confident about who we are, the better we are able to give to others. I’ve also had people ask me about resources to help children know who they are for a number of years, and more recently, I’ve been encouraged to create something which can be used by the growing number of Christian families who are fostering and adopting.

So here is a list of Bible verses which mention part of who we are in Christ – who God has made us. Whenever I read this list, there are always some things which really don’t feel true. To me, this means that I need to focus in on this part of my identity and really work on believing and being the very thing which feels most inaccessible.

I’ve made a few resources which you can find here which use some of the I Am statements based on these verses. In them, I’ve used mainly the NIV phrasing (see here, here and here) but I would recommend comparing different Bible versions, as some may resonate better with you and also make more sense to the younger people in your family. Also, those people who are very familiar with the Bible may find it helpful to use a version they’re not familiar with so as to let the words impact them in a fresh way. Only you know what will work best for you and your family to try a few out. One of the easiest ways to do this is to cut and paste the list below into the search window at www.Biblegateway.com and use the search feature to look at the list in different versions of the Bible. Some of my favourites are CEV (really good for reading out loud, especially with younger listeners), The Message, and the Amplified Version. To give you ideas, some of the verses are translated differently, see below.

Here are some activities you might like to try to explore these verses as a family:

• Look the verses up in your Bible and read the section they are part of – read the surrounding paragraph or series of verses.
• Chat about which ones are your favourites and why.
• Choose one verse and create a picture of it or write out a verse and display it.
• Look up your favourite one in different Bible versions and compare them.
• Find or make up your own song of your favourite one (google the verse and the word song).
• Say the I am sentences as part of prayer time. “Thank you, God, that I am … “.
• Work together to learn one of the verses off by heart.
• This list is just some of the things the Bible says about people who follow God. What others can you think of? Think about what other things the Bible says you are. There may be some verses which are special for your family, perhaps ones which were used at your baptism or wedding or another special event or ones linked with the meaning of your name.

Who are you? What does the Bible say?

Here is the list of Bible references on their own:

Discover or remind yourself who the Bible says you are. Look up each of these verses and write an “I am” sentence.