What Color Are You?

Alright, here’s the thing…

We’re all guilty of taking those quizzes that clog up our Facebook feeds.  You know, “What color are you?” “What city should you live in?” “Are you original or extra crispy?”  I know you’ve taken them.  I have too.  On the surface I think I know why we take these quizzes.  They’re fun.  They’re innocent.  They give us something to do while we’re sitting on the toilet.  (Don't lie right now, you know you take your phone in the bathroom). 

But I wonder if our indulgence in these quizzes points to something deeper.  We are searching for identity.  A few months ago I wrote on identity and how I was still on a journey to find mine,  but I wasn’t quite there yet.  I think this might be true of all of us on some level.  Deep down we don’t know who we are.  Perhaps we’re not comfortable with who we are.  We are searching for identity.

Take a step back.  Think about your motives.  

“I’m unsettled in my life right now.  Maybe this ten question quiz where I select coffee over soda or a cabin over a condo will help give me direction and peace.”

“I really want others to understand who I am.  Maybe if I post that I should actually live in Portland, people will finally start to see the real me.”

“And speaking of Portland, maybe the answers I’m seeking can be found there.  God knows I’m lost living here.”

You might be rolling your eyes at this point.  “Isn’t this just a little over the top?”  Maybe.  Maybe it is just good fun.  I’m just making an observation.  I’m just trying to look a little deeper and search for heart level issues.  So why are we unsettled?  Why don’t we know who we are?  Why are we searching for identity?  Perhaps you’ve been hurt.  Perhaps someone told you that who you are is not good enough or not acceptable.  Perhaps you grew up in the church (like me) and feel a little betrayed by Jeremiah 29:11 (this is an entirely different post all together).  Perhaps you’re just not comfortable in your own skin. 

There is an answer.  You might not like it.  You might not accept it.  It might not heal everything right away.  It might not be “one and done.”  Finding the answer to the question of “Who am I?” might be a journey.  It has been for me.  But I’m certainly further down the road than I was a few months ago.  It has had valleys but it has had peaks as well.  And by the way, the valleys are just as important as the peaks. 

So what is the answer?  Jesus.  Jesus is the answer.

“Man, I wish he wouldn't have said that.”

I might have just lost some of you.  I hope not.  I believe that God has written and is writing a story that we have a part and an identity in.  That story is “I love you, you are mine and I will rescue you."

I can’t convince you with my own part in the story.  I can only share it.  My story with Jesus is going to look different than your story with Jesus.  You might say, “Whoa, I don’t have a story that involves Jesus.”  My response would be, yes you do.  You just might not be able to see it yet.  And it’s not for lack of His presence or nearness.  He knows right where you are and is pursuing you.  I promise.  And I dare you to ask Him to reveal this pursuit to you.  I am 100% convinced He will show you.  It might not look like you think.  I don’t always find Jesus to be predictable or comfortable with the status quo.

Jesus is the answer. I’m telling you.  Go take your question to Him.  He wants to answer it. 

- J. Woods