As we finish this series on learning who we are in Christ, it is my heartfelt prayer that each of you have drawn closer to Christ on this journey and have developed a deep sense of how valued and treasured you are.  It is my hope that you will continue seeking Him and discovering this rich relationship in the months and years to come.  Knowing who we are in Christ is an ongoing process.

So to wrap us up, I thought you might all get a kick and a chuckle over hearing my experience.  It is humorous but absolutely true.  And it is quite involved so I will probably share it in two parts, ending tomorrow.

So, in 2003, I was still pretty much a baby Christian and began to discern the need for professional counseling.  I had some things going on in my life that I just wasn’t handling very well, and after praying over them, God told me I needed to get some help.

So I went to work and contacted my HR department (who else would I tell that I was losing my mind??)  They apparently had much experience with this and provided me with a list of covered therapists in our area.  I had asked for specifically a Christian -based therapist and they had a very long list.  I prayed over the list and chose a name that I felt God was leading me to.

I began meeting with this strange little woman of God once a week.  At first I was very uncomfortable because she did crazy things like just sit there in silence with her eyes closed for the first 15 minutes (remember, I was paying by the hour!)  At times she would turn on praise music and dance as if I weren’t even in the room.  And, oh yes, she loved to drip oil on my head and pray for me.  It was quite an unsettling experience.  She was crazy…

But I kept going, week after week, for two reasons:  1.  because I truly believed God led me there; 2.  When I left I always felt more at peace.  I couldn’t explain it, but I really did feel as if I had been in the presence of God, even if it was very uncomfortable.  

About 6 months into the process, she said something that changed my life.  After discussing one of my many troubling relationship issues, she looked at me with these intent little black eyes and said,

“Your problem is, you don’t know who you are in Christ.”

That made no sense to me.  I didn’t understand the term “identity in Christ,” and what did it have to do with my failing marriage?  But according to her,

“When you truly know who you are in Christ, it changes everything.  It changes how you see things, how you respond to things, and how you see your future.”

Of course my interest grew at this statement.  So I asked her how I could figure out who I was.  She told me that she already knew.  You see, God had given her a vision.  OKAAAY!  A vision from the incense burning, dancing, oil pouring little pixie.  Why was I surprised?  I had never met anybody that claimed to have visions from God before.  And on top of all the other strange things she did, I guess it just fit.  So I took a deep breath, and asked her to share her vision.

“You,” she said, “are Xena, God’s Warrior Princess.”  Then she jumped up, started singing hallelujah, danced around me pouring oil on my head.  

“Oh my God,” I prayed, “how could you have placed me at the mercy of someone who obviously takes recreational drugs for breakfast?”

“Xena, the Warrior Princess”  I repeated slowly.  

“Yes,” she said (still dancing.) “And you are glorious in the Father’s eyes.”

And so the story begins…          (Continued tomorrow)

Heavenly Father,

Thank You for surrounding me with people much wiser than myself.  Thank You for sending messengers that reveal Your will to me.  Thank You for leading me into my identity through the faith and witness of others.  Please continue to speak in ways that I can understand.  

In Jesus’ name I pray,

Amen