Who Do You Belong To?

Hey everyone! My name is Carrie, Carrie Marilyn Elieen Wheeler to be exact, although you can call me Cece Wheels (okay - I'm still waiting for that to catch on). But all jokes aside, if you need anything, just call out my name and I'll come running! Why? Because my name is what identifies me. It's the first thing people ask for when they meet me, when they want to know who I am. It's funny how we can easily answer the "what is your name" question, but when it comes to the question of "who are you," we freeze. "Who am I?" runs deeper than your name, age, place of birth, occupation or culture. The question of "who am I ?" is a question of true identity, a question of who you are at your core, what your purpose is, and most importantly, who you belong to.

If you grew up in a small town in Newfoundland like I did, you probably have encountered this very question time and time again: "Who's your father?" I can't tell you how many times I've been asked this question, and the conversation goes something like this:

Me: "My father is Tyrone Wheeler".

Them: " Is that Larry Wheeler's son?"

Me: " Yes! Larry was my grandfather."

Them: "Oh, Larry was the one who used to drive the oil truck and brought oil to me and Aunt so and so."

And so the conversation would continue, usually ending up with some sort of testimony of how my grandfather had told them about Jesus or made an impact on their life. Though I am blessed with the incredible family heritage I have, we still haven't quite scratched the surface of where my identity lies, although it can be found in that very question: "Who's your father?" or "Who do you belong to?"

For a long time, I didn't know who I belonged to, though I was searching for some sort of identity. I knew of God, and I could probably sing you most of the hymns in the hymnal. I fell asleep on church pews and sat through hundreds of sermons. My parents are faithful Christians, and I grew up knowing about God, yet still, when I reached my teenage years, I felt empty. Truth is, when we humans feel empty, we try to fill it with something. We either try to ignore the feeling and try to fill our lives with busyness, we try to numb the pain, or we try to self-diagnose the problem and say to ourselves, "If I only had (insert any material thing here), then I would be happy," and then aimlessly pursue whatever we think could solve the problem. I remember as a teenager being so desperate to fill the emptiness inside of me, but nothing worked; no amount of anything was going to fill the void. I was a sinner, identified by shame, guilt, selfishness, and pride. I felt hopeless and incredibly empty. I didn't know how or what could fill the void inside of me. I remember so distinctly at the age of 16, Jesus met me in my bedroom, and that night I surrendered my life to Christ, repented of my sin, and Jesus saved me in my darkest, emptiest, lowest moment. He filled my life with grace, truth, hope, forgiveness, and gave me an identity.

So: Who am I?

I love to sing, but that's not my identity. I work with children, but that's not my identity. I have an education, but that's not my identity. I have an incredible family heritage of faith, but that's not my identity. My identity is found in the one to whom I belong. You see, I used to belong to the world; I was a slave to my sin. Jesus himself says in John 8:34, "Everyone who sins is a slave to sin," and in Romans 3:23 we read that, "All have sinned and fall short of God's glory." So friends, we're all in the same boat: we all have sinned, and thus are slaves to sin, and the results are death and destruction. Why? Because sin reaps consequences. Just imagine for a second a judge who never inflicted punishment on wrongdoers; that judge wouldn't be very just, would he? Now think of God: God is holy, perfect and just in all His ways (See Deut. 32:4), but in order to be truly just, He must punish sin. The Bible tells us in Romans 6:23 that, "The wages of sin are death." This means that the punishment for sinners deserves death and separation from God. But God loved us so much that He wanted to make a way for us to have a relationship with Him. He took upon Himself the punishment for our sins by sending Jesus, God incarnate, the only perfect one, to die in our place, serving our sentence. Then, on the third day, Jesus rose again, defeating sin, death and the grave, allowing us to have a relationship with God. He ascended to Heaven and will return for His people, so that one day we can live eternally with Him if we place our faith and trust in Him and turn to Him in repentance. This is not of ourselves or any good works we could achieve; this is the gift of God, this is the Gospel! There is hope, freedom, grace and forgiveness in Christ!

I don't know the things that have defined you in your past, I don't know the sins you try to bury deep inside you, I don't know the shame and guilt you carry, or the weight of your past, but I do know this: these things don't have to define you anymore. The beauty of the Gospel is that once you come to Christ, you are no longer a slave to sin; you belong to a new master: you belong to Jesus, and He is the one who defines you. Romans 6:4 says, "We were therefore buried with Him [Christ] through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life". Just wow! When we belong to Christ, our old self is buried, and is gone! Our new life is found in Christ; we are no longer slaves to our sin, and we have a new identity founded in Christ! 2 Corinthians 5:17 says, "If anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!"

So, my friend, may I ask what your name is? Or maybe I should ask the more important question: Who do you belong to? If you're asking me, my name is Carrie, and I belong to Jesus, and friend, so can you. I urge you to come to Christ and find your identity in His loving arms.

God Bless!

~ Carrie