This past week I had a conversation with a friend who was attempting to purchase food at McDonalds. She was also going to pick up a delicious Peppermint Mocha for me so when they wouldn’t accept her normal method of payment. She had to resort to just the change she had, which meant no Mocha đ She had to report that when she handed her credit card to the woman at the window they asked her for her I.D. She proceeded to look in her purse and then quickly discovered that she did not have it.
At this point I am sure that many of you are like, seriously? A blog about getting fast food? Trust me…I’m going some where with this.
After purchasing just what she could afford with the little change she had, she began to play back through her mind when the last time was that she saw her driver’s license. It had been a while, since her ID was requested. She couldn’t really recall. However she did recall not too long ago, cleaning her car out in haste and putting all of her items in a garbage bag until she could sort them later.
I’ve totally done that before.
She must have tossed her ID in that bag and not realized it. She said something like, “I hope it’s in that bag. That would make more sense than the thought of someone stealing my ID from my purse and leaving my credit cards.”
When she said that I couldn’t help but think. WOW That’ll Preach.
Let me explain my thoughts on a symbolic level and not as I feel they relate to her.
It’s all about perceived value.
What do we value?
Who We Are vs. What We Have?
In today’s world it seems to be less about who we are and more about what we have. Case in point. She has been able to go for a while simply relying on what she had instead of having to present who she was.
In most of our minds, thieves want to take what we have and would care less about who we are, but even the thieves of today are catching on. Our greatest value comes from WHO we are. I mean look at the growing rates of identity theft. They realize that they can take the golden egg or the golden goose itself.
The devil has been aware of this fact for years.
” The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” ~John 10:10NIV
Have you also misplaced your identity?
“And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul? Is anything worth more than your soul?” Matthew 16:26 NLT
Honestly, in today’s world it is ever growing more and more difficult to stay focused on WHO YOU ARE. There are so many distractors, so many things that point your eyes to your things and not to your foundation, not to your core. So how do you get it back? Where do you look?
Well turns out my friend was on to something. You should probably think back. Where did I last have it? Where did I lose it?
I have been reading an awesome book by Steven Furtick called, Greater, which has a chapter all on this subject. You should check it out. The author references several stories of the prophet Elisha and I find one very fitting for this discussion.
It is a story of a group of holy men of God cutting down trees for a new worship facility when one of them loses his ax head.
“But as one of them was cutting a tree, his ax head fell into the river. âOh, sir!â he cried. âIt was a borrowed ax!â âWhere did it fall?â the man of God asked. When he showed him the place, Elisha cut a stick and threw it into the water at that spot. Then the ax head floated to the surface.âGrab it,â Elisha said. And the man reached out and grabbed it.” ~2 Kings 6:5-7 NLT
Our identity is what allows us to make a dent in the plans of the enemy, or cut down trees if you will. Who we are in Christ is how we walk in victory in this wicked world. So when you lose your grip on that, just as even these men of God did here, simply go back to where you lost it and with faith, pick it right back up. Grab It.
Clearly you can have all the money in the world. You can have the largest line of credit ever, but often not having your identification in order is as good as saying ‘insufficient funds.’ You might be in a place where you realize that without that identity you’ve got no more than a handful of change.
If you are a believer, remember WHO YOU ARE in CHRIST.
If you are still exploring your faith, I pray that you find Jesus today as he awaits you with an inheritance greater than anything this world has to offer.
If you are new to the blog, check out my series, You are in Demand for more on the subject of identity and purpose.
If you have a moment, tell me about a time when you realized that you had misplaced your identity and maybe about how you rediscovered it or how you plan on rediscovering it.