Years ago, while my extended family and I were on a river cruise, I saw an older man using a walker to get around. He looked interesting, so, I asked, “Where are you from?” He replied, “Question 2!” In conversation, he shared with me that we primarily ask three questions, What’s your name? Where are you from? What do you do?
We use these three questions to introduce ourselves, get to know each other, and sometimes size up one another. Where you are from determines something about your culture. What you do as a profession often determines value in our society. Let’s face it: Our culture determines value based on how you earn income. People will either lift you up or lower you down based on your profession.
On our recent trip to Kenya, introductions were quite different. While visiting a church, introductions quickly stepped into spiritual matters, something we often avoid.
My name is Robert. I was a drunkard. I am born again. Jesus is my Savior.
Where does our core-identity as followers of Jesus lie? Is it in our family name, our transformation, our spiritual reality, who our leader is, where we are from, or what we do to earn a living?
The Kenyans teach us to place our full identity in Jesus, and step into spiritual realities quickly.
