Any idea what the most popular game is?
The first time I moved to the Midwest I had no clue about what, as I call it now, “The Local Game”. It all begins with appearance and two questions: What’s your last name? And, Where do you live? Trust me when I say that you do not want to answer those questions wrong. Think about it. What happens if you answer correctly? Or incorrectly?
“The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.”
― Mahatma Gandhi
1 John 3:1-3 ESV
3 See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him. 2 Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when it appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. 3 And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure.
Identity is vital. It’s also multi-layered and I don’t think we’ll ever quite be able to get to the core of it. This is good because this allows us to feel a sense of wonder about ourselves and others. Part of those layers have to do with Home and our Roots. Our home is Heaven and our Roots lie with Jesus and our community. And when we are asked those two questions, what our last names are and where we’re from, we can answer by how we live our lives each day. The kingdom of Heaven’s scent, flavor, and feel are all around us. It wafts in mysteriously while we pray and play and live and breathe. This is a game we are all playing. It’s kinda like practice for the real thing – the real place and identity we only get from Jesus and where our Home truly is. The people who play the game best do it in their sleep. It has become second nature. It’s a knee-jerk reaction. This comforting presence springs from knowing who one is and where their home is rooted.
“You will find your Island here.
But how can it be here in the middle of the city?
-It needs no place. It is everywhere and nowhere. It refuses entry to none who asks. It is an Island of the Soul.” – CS Lewis
So what is your identity? What is your last name? Whose family do you belong to? Where do your true home and roots lie? Are you engrossed, immersed, and seeking after that faint scent on the breeze that is Heaven by living like it here on Earth today?