Tip of My Iceberg

This is a red-shouldered hawk.

I’m not a birder, and I can’t tell a hawk apart from a falcon, but I have an app that tells me that this is what this bird is.

He was sitting on my car as I approached to use it. I was amazed that he didn’t immediately fly away. He acted as if he had every right to be there, almost daring me to make him leave.

As I got closer, he stared at me. I’m not used to being stared at by steely-eyed birds. The first thought that came to me was that he could easily fly at me and poke my eyes out with his talons.

A little dramatic, I know.

I inched closer and closer, wondering how near I could get before he was spooked.

I got within arm’s length of him, watching him steadily, wondering if I should shut my eyes if he got the idea to claw first and then fly.

He flew.

I watched as he soared upward, wings outstretched, gliding more than flying.

He was exactly as he should be–a raptor flying into his known living space, being the bird he was created to be.

Being known for who we are is one of the greatest needs of everyone alive. Nobody wants to be confused with someone else, to not have their own identity. I’m a twin, and even though we’re not identical, our names are so close as to be confusing–Gayle and Dayle. In elementary school, I often felt like a typo because my name was unusual enough that teachers would believe it was a repeated name. Even Mom, when she wanted both of us, would just yell, “Ayle!” We’d both come running.

Even when people are adamant about their identity, people may choose to ignore their voice.

Jesus encountered that response frequently as He claimed to be one with God. He irritated the religious leaders and caused questioning among the crowds who came to hear Him.

There was a time in Jerusalem one winter during one of the Jewish festivals, the Festival of Dedication, when Jesus was confronted by crowds demanding to know if He was the Messiah. Jesus said to them,

“‘The Father and I are one.’ Once again, the people picked up stones to kill Him. Jesus said, ‘At My Father’s direction, I have done many good works. For which one are you going to stone Me?’ They replied, ‘We’re stoning You not for any good work, but for blasphemy! You, a mere man, claim to be God!’” John 10:30-33.

These people felt Jesus was talking sacrilegiously about the one true God, equating Himself with God. That was unconscionable in their time. But Jesus stood His ground–He was God’s Son, whether they chose to believe Him or not. Their response didn’t change who He was; their confusion only made them angry.

Jesus never held back from His identity as the Son of God. The rejection of others didn’t deter Him from His mission of offering grace, love, and forgiveness through His death on the cross in our place.

Like the red-shouldered hawk never needed permission to be who he was, neither did Jesus. Neither do I if my identity is in Him. I’m made new in Him, and whether others agree or not matters not at all.

That’s who I am.

Who do you think you are?