I have been practicing listening prayer and the other day I heard this:

“Come closer.”

I froze and absorbed the phrase.

Did the God of the universe, Creator of all things tell me to come closer to him?

I felt a sense of honor and humility like I've never felt before. It dawned on me what a marvelous reality we get to live in where a King can talk directly to all his subjects as if we were beside his throne.

It was the shot in the arm I needed for my quiet time and for this new season of my faith. Let's call it this quarters new KPIs and OKRs since I'm in sales and marketing.

Goal for the quarter: come closer to God.

Great! How?

I know him well enough to wait further for instructions, the mode and the details. Just like an invitation, I had received an invite that said: “Save the Date.”

Then came this video by Jamie Winship about Identity that rocked my world:

Identity Theft

We all have been victims of identity theft. The enemy, the world, our upbringing, community, and country moves in to ascribe an identity to us that is supposed to stay the same our whole lives. Sometimes it can be a positive one. The work of the Christian is to find out if this identity is what God says about us. One clue though, it's usually something you can trace from childhood.

I did this over the weekend, prompted by the video, and realized that I am an ambassador. It was such a great lightbulb moment. I traced in my mind all the markers:

1. Growing up on three different continents, I had to reorient myself to completely different cultures all the time.

2. Being a teenager and being enthralled with the missionary adventures of Paul and asking God if I can do that one day.

3. In grad school studying African Studies so I could one day be an…ambassador

4. During the time of my renewing my faith in Jesus, this scripture was written on my heart:

So we are Christ’s ambassadors;
God is making his appeal through us.
We speak for Christ when we plead, “Come back to God!”

2 Corinthians 5:20 NLT

For some reason, I always feel like I'm “on” representing God. I have always felt this way as a child, sometimes out of fear, often out of love and a sense of responsibility for people to know God--to be reconciled to him. It's my shared interest with God: how can I represent him in the best possible way?

What is Your Identity?

What is something you have done, from childhood, that is still with you today? Are you a giver, listener, or counselor? Are you a protector, healer, or advocate? Are you a leader, cultivator, or nurturer? Are you a fighter, teacher, or communicator? Are you a friend, financier, or planner? An ambassador like me?

You can get very granular with this. There are so many forms of identity that God can give to live out in whatever job/vocation you have.