Solution to an Identity Crisis…

   When it comes to packing the contents of a fairly large house and moving across the country, things are bound to get misplaced. I was especially concerned about a metal ‘fire safe’ box which contained our birth certificates and other important papers. Not wanting to lose the safe, I finally decided to pack it inside another box, camouflaging it with a few yearbooks and labeling the bigger container so that the movers would know where to put it.

   Just after arriving in Michigan, Al and I went to the Secretary of State’s office, the Michigan equivalent of the DMV, to change our drivers’ licenses. We were told that we would need identification papers, like birth certificates. Well, all of those papers were in the container on the moving van and wouldn’t be arriving for another week or more.

   One of our first priorities after the van had been unloaded was to find that container. There were some problems with this: first, the movers were in a hurry and didn’t put things where I had indicated they should be put; second, I couldn’t remember how I had labeled the box; and finally, there were over 80 boxes and tubs scattered everywhere.

   We began searching for the box, but couldn’t find it. I couldn’t even remember what kind of container I had used. We began to feel panicky. Had it been unloaded at another home or taken to a storage site? Al called the moving van company and alerted them to the problem.   

    Emptying the boxes completely was a time consuming project since their contents had to be put away.  The lost box became a heavy burden in spite of our prayers and the prayers of others. If it wasn’t located, all of those identification papers would have to be replaced.

   Well, the camouflaged safe finally turned up at the bottom of an apple box in the basement! While waiting downstairs for the washer and new dryer to complete their loads, I decided to look a second time through the boxes in a storage room on that floor. It was in the second box I unloaded and only took about 10 minutes to find after spending so many days searching frantically. Praise the Lord!

   Al and I were both filled with relief and joy at regaining our identities! Sometimes major changes like being laid off from a job, going through a broken relationship or moving to a new place shake our sense of self-worth and purpose in life. It can be overwhelming.

   Looking back to the time that I opened my heart to Christ as Lord and Savior, there was a new sense of meaning and purpose which came from knowing that He loved me, gave His life for me and had a plan for my life. My heart was filled with joy…and still is! How thankful I am that my identity is found in a personal relationship with Christ!

   Dear Father, forgive us when we forget who we are, when we lose sight of your plan for us, when we try to find our identity in anything else but you. Thank you for your forgiveness, for loving us unconditionally and for having a plan—a good plan—for our lives. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” 2 Corinthians 5:17 NIV