THEM> (part four)
I’ve got another story to tell.
“A missing woman on vacation in Iceland managed to unwittingly join a search party looking for herself.
Toronto Sun reports that a tourist group traveling by bus to the volcanic Eldgja canyon made a pit stop near the canyon park. The woman in question went inside to freshen up and change her clothes at the rest stop, and when she came back ‘her busmates didn’t recognize her.’
Word spread among the group of a missing passenger, and the woman didn’t recognize the description of herself. Next thing you know, a 50-person search party was canvassing the area, and the coast guard was mobilizing to deploy a search party of its own.
About 3am, some genius in the group finally figured out that the missing woman was actually in the search party, albeit in different clothes, and the search was called off.
No word on what kind of wardrobe was involved in this woman’s ‘freshening up.’ But her sense of self-image must be way out of whack to join a search party until 3am without even suspecting for a minute that the woman in the description bore some resemblance to herself.”
It’s quite ironic, isn’t it? Imagine that conversation.
“Hey, um, aren’t you the one we’re supposed to be searching for? Have you been here the whole time?”
“No, I don’t think I’m the one you’re searching for. I don’t recognize that description.”
A conversation such as that may seem completely unordinary, but it’s also a lot more familiar than it may seem at a first glance.
How many times have you thought you knew someone, but then they surprised you? Have you ever thought you knew yourself, but then something changed? Have you ever thought you knew God, but you didn’t really know Him?
Let’s dive deeper.
Remember that old (or maybe current) celebrity obsession you had? We all went through that phase. You know what I’m talking about. You knew everything about them. But let me ask this. If you were to see them on the street, and tell them you were their biggest fan, would they know you?
If Jesus was to come before you today, would he know you?
Yes, Jesus does know us; of course he does. He died for us. But have you ever told him about yourself? Your deepest desires, what makes you sad, what makes you happy, what makes you tremble with fear, what makes you anxious.
Do you just know about Jesus Christ or do you know him personally?
Jesus Christ wants to be our closest companion. He wants us to tell him everything about ourselves. There is absolutely nothing we can’t bring before Him, and there is nothing we could ever tell Him that would make Him love us less.
Know Jesus Christ personally. Pray. Even if you have nothing to say, find peace in the silence. Find Him in the silence.
In the twilight of our lives, we will be judged according to how we loved, so let the love of Christ overwhelm you, and let the love of Christ live in you.
Don’t just know about Jesus Christ. Form a relationship with him, and let His love move through you. He wants to truly know you! Even the parts you have tried so hard to hide. God wants you just as you are.
I pray that rather than searching for yourself, you will find your identity in Christ. He loves you more than anything. He loves you unconditionally.
Ellie Proctor 