Who Are You?

Have you ever had one of those times when you’re praying about a particular course of action when you are suddenly sidetracked in a seemingly unrelated direction?  I had one of those times this morning.  While standing before the mirror with a face full of Gillette shave gel, razor in hand and hot water streaming from the tap, my sincere prayer for added direction for my proposed move to Oklahoma boomeranged into thoughts of my sweet wife… so what else is new… right?

But this time it was different.  Somehow, I could tell from the onset of the switch that there was going to be a lesson attached to it.  The pictures in my mind's eye changed from images of packing up and moving into a new place in another state, to the earliest of days when Piper and I began to hang out together in high school.  Once that scene came into focus, my first thoughts were that there was always something special about her.  But it wasn’t just a physical or emotional attraction… it was the aura that seemed to surround her.

From the very start I had a sense that she was different and it caused me to always have and want to treat her with the greatest of respect and honor.  Being around her seemed to accelerated my growth from a carefree teenager to a young man that had a wonderful responsibility in life!  We did a lot of crazy things in those first few years but I knew deep inside that there was definitely a line of honorable conduct that I had to keep when with her… and its not like we ever discussed it in those days either.  There was something about her that simply elicited that behavior in me toward her.

When I finished shaving, I sat on the bed to put on my socks and while there began to stare at all the photos of Piper that I still have on the wall next to the bed stand.  As I perused all the shots ranging from her SRJC days to the early 2000’s, I couldn’t help but say to the dog laying patently at my feet that it was almost as if she were… royalty!  But again, it wasn’t a physical or social thing as I didn’t see it in other family members or friends and to be perfectly honest, I don’t believe it was just my infatuation at the time with her either… for the older she grew the more that sense about her seemed to increase!

And then it hit me!  Royalty… that’s it… It was like she was a daughter of a king!  Which is exactly what she was… and still is!  She’s the daughter of the King of Kings!  In fact, she’s in His very presence today!  Back then and for years after, I had no idea what that was all about but then I began to learn scriptures like 2 Corinthians 6:18 where Paul says that “The Lord Almighty says, "I will be your Father, and you will be my sons and daughters."  Or I John 3:1 when John wrote: “Consider this: The Father has given us his love. He loves us so much that we are actually called God's dear children.” (God’s Word ©)

Now I realize that many of the memories that I write of Piper might seem to make it like she walked on water… but truth be told… she was a normal person with personal faults just like you and me!  She wasn’t always the most organized person in the world and had a sometimes-maddening tendency to wait to the last minute before completing (or sometimes starting…) school projects or church presentations with our kids.  I have many fond memories of her and the kids working deep into the night sewing costumes for church activities or plays or putting together presentations for the annual Arts & Crafts Fair for our homeschool families... the night before the event!  And don’t get me started on the quarterly reports required for the school we were connected with!  Those memories are fond to me now… but they weren’t as fond when they were happening!

My point being that while she was a normal woman on many fronts… she knew EXACTLY who she was within her legal position as a Christian standing “In Christ!” (for more details please study Paul’s prayers to the church in Ephesians 1:15-23 and 3:14-21)  I can recall many conversations that I eavesdropped on between Piper and  young Christians when the conversation would turn to the false belief that as a Christian we are “just an old sinner saved by grace!” where Piper would painstakingly explain the definitive truth of God’s Word to them where Paul explained without reservation “if any man (or woman) be in Christ, he (or she) is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” (I Corinthians 5:17 EMTV)  

As Piper walked in her Christian standing according to who the Bible says we are, so should all Christians walk.  She wasn’t any different than you or me in this regard.  I think… no I know… that the enemy of our souls does his best to make us feel less than special or important or smart or strong in this life… but remember Jesus Himself called the devil “the deceiver of the whole world” in Revelation 12:9 and “the father of lies” in John 8:44.  So whose word are you going to take on the subject! 

Therefore, I encourage you to get into the Word and get to know EXACTLY who you are in 2019!  Your life will never be the same!  Have a great new week in this new month in the beginning of this New Year!  And as you do, say with me… I am expecting to get to know EXACTLY who the Bible says I am IN CHRIST throughout 2019!”