Who are you?

A generous and gracious neighbor and friend who was (and is) an extraordinary Tennessee VOL fan, invited me to a football game to cheer on the Big Orange and stay in his family’s condo for a game in Florida. He drove us down to the Sunshine State in his father’s stretch black limousine, with a phone (long before cell phones were popular or affordable for normal people. This one had a phone cord and handset!) We had more fun in that Limo, people would slow down and look to see who was in the back, squinting to try to see through the tinted windows.  My friend and I had too much fun in the Wendy’s drive-through (He loved everything Wendy’s… Fries, a Frosty and his burger was always “Single, cheese, everything, no pickle”). I would climb into the back and put my dark glasses on day or night. We would give them two separate orders and drive around (he was a very good driver of this extra long vehicle, not bumping any curbs). Just before he would drive up to the window he would put on his chauffeur’s hat and sunglasses, roll down his window, then grab only his order and puuuullll forward slowly, roll down my window so I could grab my order, then roll it up for me while I held the bag and drink.  People would ask my friend, who he had in the back.  He would make up some famous person’s name, tell them with a straight face, then when we pulled away, we would laugh, and I’d climb back up to the front seat to eat our Wendy’s #1 meal deal.  We even got waved through by the traffic cops in football traffic to the special parking area like VIP's… It was fun pretending to be someone famous, but we knew we were just normal people in an extraordinarily long vehicle. This friend, though very blessed, is always especially humble, generous, and really cared about people.

There were many times in my life that I needed to be reminded who I really was in Christ. I was still living like a person who had never connected his life to Jesus. I acted like someone else, like the unchanged old flesh that served myself at the expense of everyone else around me.  I sometimes tried to solve my problems and pain with worldly remedies… solutions that never work in the long run.  There were times I tried to act like I was famous, fancy, or extraordinary, knowing that I was just an ordinary fallen human.  I had engaged in so much unhealthy self-talk about who I was, I forgot who I really was and Who I was really supposed to be acting like… The Good News is that God’s character never changes.  He loves us no matter what and He kept pursuing me.  He sacrifices so that we are blessed. He gives us the gift of an unending relationship with Him and doesn’t take it away even when we forget, or pretend, or act out of character with our New Self.  There will be some discipline from Him for acting badly, but He never disconnects with us, because we are His children.  Paul tells those who are connected to Jesus,  “For God's gifts and His call are irrevocable. [He never withdraws them once they are given, and He does not change His mind about those to whom He gives His grace or to whom He sends His call.]” Romans 11:29 (AMP) We gotta keep asking ourselves, “who am I?”  And be reminded that we are called by God and gifted by God and blessed by God to be a new creation… a person that loves and values God and people well, and doesn’t pretend to be better than anyone else... someone who remembers their connection to Jesus and acts like Him even when we are tired, scared, hurting, or wanting to pretend we are someone we aren’t. He makes us a person whose character doesn’t change regardless of the hat we are wearing, the sunglasses we are wearing, the car we are driving, the church we are attending, the career we are pursuing, the friends we have...

Hang in there people! God is glad to be with us! I’m praying for us all!