I've been fascinated with the seemingly endless number of reality-based game shows on television during the last eight or nine years. The possibility of getting on national television and winning vast sums of money has lured hundreds of thousands of people to stand in lines or call phone numbers, hoping to be selected for a moment of glory. What I've noticed is that the simpler the game show concept, the more popular it is. Three immediately come to mind: "Deal or No Deal," "The Amazing Race," and "Identity." The latter is hosted by Penn Jillette (from the comedy duo Penn and Teller) and features a contestant attempting to correctly guess the identities of twelve complete strangers. Some are pretty obvious, such as the cowboy who is wearing a cowboy hat, but others are more difficult, like the rocket scientist who is no more than thirty years old. After watching a few episodes, I realized something important: appearances can be quite deceiving.
If I was one of the twelve people standing onstage for a round of the game show, I would be pretty difficult to identify. After all, I've been confused for Stephen Colbert on one occasion and the manager of a retail store on countless others. And if I changed my glasses and added a scar on my forehead, I'd probably make a pretty good Harry Potter. But the truth is that I'm not any of these. Instead, I am me, and I'm okay with that.
But I have another identity that I pray people see when they read anything I write or meet me in person.
Paul shares something fascinating in a letter to the residents of Colosse, a town located in modern-day Turkey. After encouraging the people to set their hearts and minds on things not of this world, he adds the following line: "For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory" (Colossians 3:3 [NIV]).
In other words, your identity is Jesus. Nothing less, nothing more. To be identified with one who underwent unspeakable pain and suffering—even death!—is the ultimate plan of God for every person on Earth, whether in Boston, London, Kuala Lumpur, Johannesburg, or the little town down the street with a population of 300.
It's a humbling experience to lay aside one's personal dreams and goals to claim the identity of God's Son. It's an honor and privilege to be able to claim allegiance with him. It's an incredible challenge and responsibility to showcase Jesus to people who have no interest in associating themselves with him.
Since this is the case, people that have identified themselves with Jesus need to make sure their lives reflect him at every opportunity. The ways to do this are numerous, but here are three good places to start:
·R * Read about him — It's terribly challenging for me to do an impression of a character (say, Willie Wonka) unless I've learned how they talk and react in certain situations. When I've done my homework, however, being that character becomes second nature. In the same way, it's hard to embody Jesus unless one knows what he said, what he did, and his reasoning for the actions he took. The primary source for this information is the Bible itself. To not read and make its truths part of one's life is like describing the taste of a gourmet meal without experiencing it firsthand. Taste, see, and identify.
· * Be available for him — When one identifies themselves with Jesus, one's life becomes a constant opportunity for learning, sharing, and experiencing God. Sometimes it means going to the park one day, only to have an encounter that brings the phrase 'faith in God' into sharper focus. Sometimes it means getting up early and sending an email to a friend who is struggling with the same issue you've recently dealt with. The key is to always be ready, for you never know when God will show up.
· * Pray to him — I think sometimes that we run so fast in our everyday lives that the last thing on our minds is to pray to God about the day, any situations that arise, and to thank him for his innumerable blessings (seen and unseen). If anything, our busyness should drive us to our knees. It only comes when we both a) recognize the importance of communicating one-on-one with God and b) actually do it.
This issue of identity has been challenging for me lately. Less than a week ago, I realized that I had my priorities in the wrong place when it came to where God fit in my life. In other words, I was allowing my identity to become something other than Jesus—in this case, the things I do for him. Now doing things can be good, but when doing becomes a replacement for the actual relationship with God, problems develop. In my case, I started getting stressed out, developed a cynicism that was unlike anything I've ever experienced, and wanted nothing to do with God. It was driven home when my wife told me that I needed to pray about what was going on and 'give up' my mistaken identity and reclaim that of Christ. My reaction was a swift, "I don't want to pray!"
Then I realized how far I had truly fallen.
Only after listening to what she said did I come away with a renewed outlook on life and new determination to be what Jesus is. I never want my identity to be the things I do again, for many people can do those same things—and many of them can do them better. My focus needs to be one that if I was one of the twelve strangers on "Identity," it would be glaringly obvious that my identity is a Christian. May your identity be the same today and every day henceforth.
And as God has refreshed you, may you in turn refresh others.
"Is Christ a noun or a verb in your life? If he's a noun, you may be capable of intellectually comprehending that the Lord is good. But only if he is both a noun and a verb are you able to 'taste and see that the Lord is good'".
--Leonard Sweet, Out of the Question . . . Into the Mystery
"But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect."
--Paul, 1 Corinthians 15:10 (NIV)
