What's in Your Bag?

A few years ago each member of a small group was handed a brown paper lunch bag. We were each asked to bring it back the next week with items inside to help us get to know one another. The challenge was that we were not to refer to the roles we have. We were to fill it with things that with things that represented us as individuals. What fun the next week as we shared! Some were very creative, decorating the outside of the bag as well as filling it with fun show-and-tell items.

Our identity is often tied up in our roles and relationships. "I'm the teacher for the 4th and 5th grade boys. I'm a cashier at the store on the corner." "I work at the bank." "Hi, I'm Tommy's mom. I'm Jonathan's wife." These roles and relationships are important, but is there more? How would you fill your bag, if you were to introduce yourself to a new friend in this way? Let's explore the topic "What's in Your Bag?"

1. How do you usually introduce yourself to others? What is important for them to know about you? 
   
2. What would you share from your bag, to represent who you are?
   
3. Are there positives about being defined by our roles? What are they? What are the drawbacks to being defined by our roles or relationships?
   
4. Times of major transition often reveal how we see ourselves. What kinds of transitions have challenged you or changed you in terms of identity?
   
5. Consider how marriage, divorce, the birth or death of a family member, a new job or the loss of a job, a major illness or an empty nest can challenge us. 
   
6. How do we learn who we are? Are some sources of information more reliable than others? If some sources are unreliable, how do we begin to silence those false messages?
   
7. Imagine yourself at an awards banquet, surrounded by family and/or friends. As you are called to the platform to receive an award, how might someone introduce you? What would you want them to say?
   
8. Are there practical ways to celebrate our uniqueness and true identity in God? How might we celebrate the uniqueness of those we love (family and friends)? 
   
9. What additional thoughts or questions do you have on this study? 
   
10. Please pray for me in these areas: