Do you like “Long Lost Family”? It is one of my favorite television shows. The show documents the search for birth parents by individuals given up for adoption thirty, forty, maybe fifty years earlier. Sometimes it’s the birth parents who are searching for their offspring, having had to make that very difficult, heroic decision years earlier to allow someone else to raise their child in a healthier environment than they could provide. The show highlights the bond of family, both adoptive and by birth, and the value of life.

 Many of us are blessed to not have to grapple with the issue of identity. I’m very thankful to have known my parents and grandparents, and to know the nations of origin of my great-grandparents. I’ll admit I can’t begin to understand that need to search for identity, although I believe the need is genuine for some.

 The issue of Identity in general is a hot one in our culture. There is, apparently, a tribal mentality. It seems everyone wants a tribe. There are the politically left and the politically right tribes. There are union and nonunion tribes. There are the tribes divided by nation of origin – African-American, Latino-American, Asian-American, et cetera. There is the geek/nerd tribe. (Trust me, this is real.) The sports tribes are an enthusiastic bunch. There are bird-watching tribes, gardening tribes, quilting tribes, and literary tribes.

 Identity. For those who are “in Christ,” those lines of division, those imaginary groupings, disappear – or at least they should. Who are we, really?

 We are adopted into one family, with one uniting Spirit – like minds, hearts, purposes, totally focused on what glorifies our Father. This is probably the most apparent and convincing miracle experienced by those who follow Christ: oneness. Skin color, nation of origin, economic background, family dynamics – none of these identifiers should divide souls born of the Holy Spirit.

 A dear friend recently visited our Louisville home whom I had not seen in almost 10 years. Our paths had briefly crossed through our Philadelphia church. She and her family are from India. While we come from totally different cultures and life experiences, our hearts are in complete alignment. In fact, my friend’s son, a college junior, exclaimed, “Wow! You sound just like my mom!” when he heard me express my heart on issues facing the world today. The aligning factors are the Holy Spirit and God’s Word, the Bible. Our five-hour visit was precious beyond words because we are totally united as sisters in Christ.

 Galatians 3:28 says, “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”

 Precious truth.

 “Hearts of Fire,” published by “The Voice of the Martyrs,” is an excellent read. The book details the experiences of believers in countries hostile to Christianity. I was humbled by the unshakable faith of the suffering servants who were reliant on the support of a very small network of like-minded spiritual family in order to survive torture, starvation, exposure, imprisonment, et cetera.

 I have been pondering the comparatively trivial issues that divide the large network of true believers in this country, and I find it heartbreaking. We don’t know true suffering, yet our focus on self, our culture of entitlement, weakens the only tribe that matters – the tribe that belongs to Jesus. We are not a united front.

 A house divided falls.

 I believe there is truth to the above statement. However, God is sovereign. His will, His perfect plan, will be accomplished despite our failures. His Church, the Body of Christ, will prevail. But how much better would it be, how much greater would be our impact on this lost world if we were marching shoulder-to-shoulder?

 Let’s build this house! Let’s stand firm in our identity in Christ and on the truth of His Word. Let’s take our focus off ourselves and our differences and glorify our Lord. A strong house built on the miracle of oneness will be a light in darkness and will stand against a coming storm.

 Joy in my Identity,

 Jacquee