It all started innocently enough. I received several calls over a few days from a school in downtown Cleveland to let me know that my child was absent from school. This was definitely news to me - seeing as how my wife and I have no children. I had to call them and inform them of their error. Over the next month, I received many calls from collection agencies, banks, retail establishments, and car dealerships telling me I owed money and my car was being repossessed. Funny thing, these were all businesses and establishments I had no interaction with. They were all looking for the wrong Chris - but it was frustrating.
Then, most recently, when my short sale was going through, we discovered that there was a lien from the State of Ohio for back taxes. This held up the process even longer but that was all worked out. What have I discovered about this Chris? He's married, lives in Parma, and apparently unwilling to pay for anything. He is like my imperfect clone - a bizarro Chris.
You remember Bizarro? He was the imperfect clone of Superman. He would say "goodbye" when he meant "hello" and vice versa. He did everything the opposite of Superman. He wasn't necessarily evil, but his whole world was twisted around. Light was dark, good was bad, goodbye was hello. Even his planet was square shaped. I felt the same way with this character who shared my name.
So, apparently there were different businesses and even tax agencies that didn't know the real me. Has that ever happened to you? Maybe not being harassed by collectors, but people not knowing the real you. Or, having a twisted version of you in their heads. They have an opinion of you based on false observations and hearsay - and they don't get to meet the real you. It can be frustrating to be unknown or not known truly. People can gossip or spread lies and others can form an opinion of you based on that information. In those moments, you can't even change someone's opinion because they are convinced the "twisted" version is the real you.
The good news is that God knows you. The real you. That can be equal parts reassuring and scary. He created us in His image and has known us before we were formed. The Lord knows all our struggles and fears - He has been with us in our good times and our bad. He knows us more intimately than we know ourselves. As I said, it can cut both ways knowing that. He even knows the things we keep hidden from our good friends and families. Most importantly, if we know the real us, then we will also know what God has done and continues to do for us.
1 Peter 2:9 says "But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light." Pretty cool huh?
That's some heady stuff to hear about ourselves in that passage and we could get an ego thinking we are a chosen race, a holy nation, etc.. And in some places, there are Christians who have this superiority complex to them. I am sure you have met one or two in your life.
That's only if we read the first part of the passage. Look at the second part which explains what our response has to be. We are to proclaim the excellencies of him who called us out of darkness. That would be God. You may know him as Lord, Father, Creator, etc.. It doesn't say we are to proclaim our goodness to the world around us. We are not the ones who got ourselves out of darkness. It clearly states we were in darkness and apparently there was no way out with our own strength. God called us out of the darkness. There would be no happy ending for us if that didn't happen.
This is what we are called to. We are saved by the grace of God. Our reaction is to proclaim that. Not whisper it or keep the news to ourselves. I always think of proclaiming as going to the center of town and yelling out at the top of our lungs for all to hear. That's our call. Tell everyone what He has done.
The Lord knows us inside and out. He knows where we have been and where we are going. God knows the real person and doesn't run away from us. That thought is powerful reassurance when we feel unknown or a "bizarro" person. God gives us our real identity.
Hello.
Then, most recently, when my short sale was going through, we discovered that there was a lien from the State of Ohio for back taxes. This held up the process even longer but that was all worked out. What have I discovered about this Chris? He's married, lives in Parma, and apparently unwilling to pay for anything. He is like my imperfect clone - a bizarro Chris.
You remember Bizarro? He was the imperfect clone of Superman. He would say "goodbye" when he meant "hello" and vice versa. He did everything the opposite of Superman. He wasn't necessarily evil, but his whole world was twisted around. Light was dark, good was bad, goodbye was hello. Even his planet was square shaped. I felt the same way with this character who shared my name.
So, apparently there were different businesses and even tax agencies that didn't know the real me. Has that ever happened to you? Maybe not being harassed by collectors, but people not knowing the real you. Or, having a twisted version of you in their heads. They have an opinion of you based on false observations and hearsay - and they don't get to meet the real you. It can be frustrating to be unknown or not known truly. People can gossip or spread lies and others can form an opinion of you based on that information. In those moments, you can't even change someone's opinion because they are convinced the "twisted" version is the real you.
The good news is that God knows you. The real you. That can be equal parts reassuring and scary. He created us in His image and has known us before we were formed. The Lord knows all our struggles and fears - He has been with us in our good times and our bad. He knows us more intimately than we know ourselves. As I said, it can cut both ways knowing that. He even knows the things we keep hidden from our good friends and families. Most importantly, if we know the real us, then we will also know what God has done and continues to do for us.
1 Peter 2:9 says "But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light." Pretty cool huh?
That's some heady stuff to hear about ourselves in that passage and we could get an ego thinking we are a chosen race, a holy nation, etc.. And in some places, there are Christians who have this superiority complex to them. I am sure you have met one or two in your life.
That's only if we read the first part of the passage. Look at the second part which explains what our response has to be. We are to proclaim the excellencies of him who called us out of darkness. That would be God. You may know him as Lord, Father, Creator, etc.. It doesn't say we are to proclaim our goodness to the world around us. We are not the ones who got ourselves out of darkness. It clearly states we were in darkness and apparently there was no way out with our own strength. God called us out of the darkness. There would be no happy ending for us if that didn't happen.
This is what we are called to. We are saved by the grace of God. Our reaction is to proclaim that. Not whisper it or keep the news to ourselves. I always think of proclaiming as going to the center of town and yelling out at the top of our lungs for all to hear. That's our call. Tell everyone what He has done.
The Lord knows us inside and out. He knows where we have been and where we are going. God knows the real person and doesn't run away from us. That thought is powerful reassurance when we feel unknown or a "bizarro" person. God gives us our real identity.
Hello.
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