I have friends who have dual-citizenship, and therefore, two passports. This means that if they’re traveling in Europe, for instance, they use their European passport because they can pass through the entry points more easily. Then they use their US passport to come home.
We actually all have several forms of identity and we regularly select whichever is the more advantageous for the situation we find ourselves in. You could be simply a passenger on a train or plane until a medical emergency arises and then identify yourself as a doctor or medic, available to help. Perhaps you sit on a committee at church or in your community that ends up benefiting from the professional expertise you’ve acquired through your job.
In all four gospels, Jesus begins His ministry when John baptizes Him and the Voice calls down from heaven, “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased” (Mark 1:11 and Luke 3:22, compare Matthew 3:17 and John 1:32-34). It is the identity that not only informs Jesus’s sense of vocation, but also fortifies Him through the trials that lie ahead.
Ultimately, it is this identity that will serve us best as well. Scripture assures us that we are God’s creatures – God’s children – God’s beloved (see 1 John 3:1 and Galatians 4:4-7 for starters!). No matter how many roles we play in life, this is the credential that will get us most reliably through every crossroad.
Lent, with its culmination in Holy Week, invites us to hollow ourselves out spiritually in order to be refilled with the glorious good news of Easter. The world makes it easy for us to question, like the Psalmist, “Why do you (God) bother with us? Why take a second look our way?” (Psalm 8:4 The Message). It makes sense to begin these weeks following our celebration of the Resurrection with the recalibration of our core identity as sons and daughters of the Lord of the Universe.
It’s our all-purpose passport.
For updates on my book, or more information about me, continue to check back to this blog! I will also be frequently updating my Facebook Author page, as well my twitter account, @AuthorMcNabb, and my LinkedIn account, Katie McNabb.
2 Responses to Where’s Your ID?