Our scripture for today seems to me to stand against
everything that our culture seems to tell us as many other scriptures do as well. There are many ways that people in our culture seek to understand us and we all are searching for something in life that really matters.
Throughout our lives we will all be challenged with the
question of our identity. Each of us has a name which the world knows us by. Some people draw their identity from their career they go through life as a Teacher, a lawyer, a farmer, a pastor Etc.. Others draw their identity from the people that they associate with "They run with the wild bunch, or they are in the church crowd", Whatever. Some draw identity from what they do in their spare time...
woodworking, exercise, couch potatoe, armchair quarterback and this list is about as endless as there are people in the world. In any case, it seems to me that one of the fundamental quests of every human being is that they are seeking to understand who they are and they are seeking to communicate to the entire world who they are once they figure it out for themselves. One of the saddest situations that I have ever been close to occurred while I was working at MacNeal Hospital in Berwyn, Illinois as a chaplain.
During my rounds one evening, I came across a patient who was in a coma and was being kept alive on a respirator after being hit by a car and left for dead. The woman was carrying no identification when she was brought into the emergency room so there was no way that the staff could contact her family. So she was admitted to the intensive care unit essentially
without an identity. "Jane Doe" laid there in that hospital bed and the only people who seemed to care were the ones who were responsible for rendering care to her in this condition. I continued to check up on her and for a period of nearly three days she was there for all intents and purposes without an identity. Finally, the Chicago police department was able to put two and two together when a missing persons report matched the description of the woman and her family then came to the hospital. This story did have a happy ending as she recovered slowly and was able to go home from the hospital with her family. But I remember how moved I was by the fact that there was absolutely no one by this woman’s side to care for her, pray for her, hold her hand, or speak
softly into her ear when she probably needed a connection with her family the most. After her family was located and they began to make regular visits I had the occasion to talk with her husband. He told me of their Christian faith and he told me that he knew all along that she would be found and that even though he was not there by her side during those first few days he was certain that she never felt alone due to
her own faith in Christ. Most of the time when people say these types of things in the midst of a crisis I am tempted to think that they are not really believing what they are saying, but are actually trying to rationalize the reason that these bad things are happening to them. Not so, with this man, I am sure that this fact was a clear reality to him and to his wife as well.
Now, I can’t even remember that woman’s name, I do
remember that they were both of Polish descent. And I
remember them being wonderful people...
Eventually, when all is said and done, what really
matters in the eyes of God? Is it your identity as a wealthy person, or as a person of tremendous influence? Is it your name that will get you into heaven? Is it the opinion of the world that will be the key to heaven for you? Can you ride into heaven on the coat tails of a relative who has a strong faith? The answer to all of these questions is NO. It is not who you are that matters... Rather it is who’s you are that matters. It is who’s play book you are responding to that matters in the end. If you have given your heart to Jesus Christ and have strived to remain close to him, these are the things that will usher you into heaven. The woman in the hospital had no identity for a few days and I can’t even remember her name today, but I do recall her faith. And I do
recall her commitment to Christ which her husband spoke of.
She is a child of God. Nothing less. And my friends, it is impossible to be anything more. When all of the roles that she may play in this world have come to an end, the only role that will matter then is that she belongs to God and will remain eternally in his care.
No number of labels that the world can place on us can
ever cover the label of ownership that God has placed on the hearts of those who would call themselves his children. Our scripture today as much as tells us that the world will not know us. As much as people try to know who we are, they will never fully understand our identity as children of God because they don’t understand God himself.
Even as Christians we may not fully understand our
identity, but perhaps this is because we have tried for our entire lives to understand ourselves in terms that have no eternal significance. Christians down through the centuries have tried to make themselves marketable to the world and to place labels upon themselves that the world will accept and approve. I’m not sure that this is what God want’s us to do at all. Rather, I think that we should focus on understanding ourselves in relationship with the one who holds our destines in the palm of his hand.
Every single human being ever to walk upon the face of
the earth was created to be in relationship with God the creator. And yet untold millions of people have been caught up in the pursuit of personal understanding and satisfaction to the neglect of that which they were created to be. Even those of us who are people of faith, have given in to these same desires. We look at people around us and the scrutiny
that they put us under and we get bound up by trying to live up to their expectations. The only expectations that we should live up to are those of God himself which are given to us in the pages of scripture and then written upon the pages of our hearts.
There are lots of things that Christians sing in their
hymns and put on the bumpers of their cars that speak of the freedom that comes from trusting God to take care of us eternally, but I wonder how many of us actually live out those words in real life? Do we really trust God to see to it that we have meaning, significance and Identity in life or are we still caught up in trying to develop these things for ourselves. It seems to me that to place too much emphasis on our identity, is to sell short the power of God to do this for us.
When a person who calls themselves a child of God spends more time worrying about what the world thinks of them than they do about pursuing a relationship with Jesus Christ, it seems that they are not convinced that God is going to take care of their needs. It seems that they may be preparing a back up plan, just in case God doesn’t come through. When
you put it like that, it sounds rather absurd doesn’t it.
This afternoon the St. Louis Rams will take the field
against the New England Patriots in the greatest sports show on earth. The various players on the field on both teams will play with all of their hearts and will give 110% for the cause that they are playing for. They will all be on a quest which they all dream of to wear that super bowl ring and to hoist the
Vince Lombardi trophy over their heads as virtually the entire world watches them. One of these teams will be victorious and the other will go home dejected and empty handed. ( if you want to know the exact score without watching the game, just see me after church).. But I will tell you this; every player on the
field no matter the color of their uniform will give their all and they will all work together under the master plan of the coaches. The reason that these two teams have made it to this level is because they all know exactly who is in charge. They all know who they work for, they know what team they play for and they know who is ultimately responsible for calling the plays. None of the men on the field during the game will be solely responsible for calling the plays. The
coaching staff does that and the ultimate task of the players is merely to honor and to carry out the plays that they are given... These men study endless hours of strategy and are taught to learn to run the plays exactly as they are taught by the coaching staff without and reservation or question.
The same is true for each of us as we walk in the
Christian faith we each need to worry more about growing in our knowledge and devotion to God than worrying about what the world thinks of us. As a Christian, put your faith where you know it should be... secure in the love of God and not preoccupied with things that are temporary. And as a person who has not yet claimed their identity as a child of God,
decide today to let Jesus Christ free you from the burden of trying to prove yourself to be somebody. Claim the identity that has been your’s from the moment that you were created. Someone who is loved, cared for, and eternally secure. Take the hand of Jesus and walk with him because he knows who you are and better still he knows who’s you are and he loves you more than you will ever fully know. Let Him call
the plays and you will only know success!
