Who Do You Think You Are? : Looking In The Mirror Unashamed.

Jesus and his disciples went on to the villages around Caesarea Philippi. On the way he asked them, ‘Who do people say I am?’ Mark.8:27 (NIVUK)

One of the most challenging academic assessments I faced during my medical residency was a recorded consultation assessment. This involved submitting unscripted and unedited video recordings of my medical consultations with patients who consented to be recorded on the day. The goal was to assess my communication skills, and I ended up making over 120 unique recordings.

The most difficult part was playing back each recording several times, listening to my recorded self, and also listening with my supervisors to get feedback. This was a nerve-wracking and stressful process for me. It felt like being stripped bare of my coverings, like being gutted.

However, I realized that the more I opened myself to the feedback and welcomed the process, I transformed from fear and nervousness to enjoying the process. It became a liberating journey from weakness to strength, and I built conscious competence in my communication skills. Now, I can teach others as well.

This applies in the same way to whatever purpose God has committed to you: whether parenting, leading at work, church or community. Sometimes who you think you are may not align with the results you are getting. You need to self- examine.

Jesus is our example. As perfect as He was, He stopped at some point to get feedback from His disciples: “Who do people say I am?” He already knew who he was, but it was important to understand their perspective and assess His impact. In Galatians 2:2 Paul got feedback from the Apostles regarding his ministry to be clear that his work was not in vain.

Receiving open and honest feedback does not invalidate or diminish you or your vision if done within the right framework. Rather, it ensures you are staying on track with your goals. It’s easy to get so caught up or engrossed in your vision that you forget to measure if it is achieving the desired goals.

A leader without feedback is like a horse without reins. Feedback is the control that keeps you on track at the right pace and tells you when to change direction or speed. Never be too big to listen to feedback, even some ill-intentioned ones. Of course, not every feedback is helpful. Sieve out the salient points and discard the rest.

Though challenging, once we form the habit of being open to constructive feedback and not seeing it as an attack on our person, it becomes a liberating process of consistent self-improvement. It becomes the rudder that helps us navigate the rough waters of destiny and the wind beneath our sails.

Finally, Jesus commended Peter because his feedback came from the Holy Spirit. Receiving feedback from others is commendable but we must not fall into the trap of seeking validation from others and ignoring the prompting or instructions of the Holy Spirit in your heart regarding your work, vision or any aspect of your life. Jesus stated that his testimony about himself is true because the father bore him witness John 8:18.

God’s witness is ultimate and supersedes every other feedback. “Let God be true and every man a liar.” He can see what no man can even imagine. If you follow His guidance, then you can boldly say, “I am who I am by the grace of God” and “If God be for me, who can be against me?”