“Are you from South Dakota?” was the question that came across my headset and for a couple of seconds I stared dumbly at my computer screen before I responded to my customer’s inquiry. It was a friendly question that he was asking out of sincere curiosity. I politely responded that I certainly was from South Dakota. The kind gentleman on the other end of my telephone line praised my accent and the beautiful countryside. I could tell that he was rather proud because was able to properly identify my midwestern accent. We chatted briefly about South Dakota and when the call disconnected I couldn’t help smiling a little.
However much to the dismay of the southern blood flowing through my veins this was not the first time that I had been identified as Midwesterner. The first time it occurred I found myself slightly annoyed because I found it alarming that my identity was changing. In order for you to fully understand the ramifications of this my distress; please keep in mind that while my voice tone conveys a Midwestern accent that I did not grow up here in the Midwest. When I gaze across the wide-open spaces and stare at the endless acres of soybeans or even when I enter the Corn Palace of South Dakota I do not necessarily feel the same surge of excitement as I do whenever I drive by the Arbuckle Mountains in Oklahoma or while I’m standing on the shores of the muddy, Red River.
I clearly remember how flustered I felt the first time someone identified me as a “Midwesterner”. The Southern girl in me balked over the fact that my southern characteristics were disappearing or rather morphing into something altogether different. I am slowly accepting the fact that the longer I live in the Midwest the more that I am losing my Southern identity.
As I ponder this changing identity of mine I find thoughts drifting to a slightly different topic. Ephesians 4:22 (NLT) says “throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception.” Most of us have spent years investing and clinging for dear life to everything we find to be comfortable. We hold onto the things that bring us a sense of normality and what everyone around us deems to be the natural way of living. Throwing off our old nature is not an easy thing to do. It is sort of like our favorite piece of clothing. We cling to it even when we should really throw it out.
Once we have finally discarded that old, favorite piece of clothing we have made room for a new favorite. The more that we cast aside our sinful nature, the more room we have for Christ to dwell in us. The more things that we remove from our lives that pertain to our old way of living and thinking the more space we can offer to the One that came to save us from our old way of doing things. Paul wrote in the book of second Corinthians that “If anyone belongs to Christ, there is a new creation. The old things have gone; everything is made new!”. I am extremely thankful for the power of forgiveness. I know that there will be times when all I see is the “old me” but I am relieved to know that Jesus only sees the “new me”.
Much like my customer who identified me as a Midwesterner because of my accent it is my heart’s desire that everything about who I am portrays the identity of Christ. Here on earth I may wrestle with my cultural identity and may even find myself in a bit of an identity crisis, but one thing for certain is that if I search for Him that I will find Him; and I will not be content with who I am until I can echo the sentiments of King David, “I shall be satisfied when I awake in Your likeness.”