"Name's Rango"

Vinnie and I went to see Rango last week. It was OK. The running theme was Rango trying to find his identity and he kept asking the question of "who am I?" WARNING THIS IS A SPOILER ALERT (kind of): it ends with Rango being able to choose his own destiny. Yikes.

Can you imagine if we were really able to choose our own destinies?? I'd probably be a college drop-out, living somewhere in Asia, jumping from job to job to job trying to live a "spontaneous life". It would be a train wreck.

So, this brings a question to my mind, "who am I?" The Lord has been revealing to me more and more lately how many things I seek identity in that aren't Him. For example, driving a standard. Recently (I mean really recent...THREE DAYS AGO) Vinnie and I went down to one car, which happens to be a standard. I've never driven a standard until now. I had ample amount of practice with Vinnie in the car and then when we went to one car I had no choice but to drive alone. The Lord used this to reveal to me a lot of the idol of approval in my life. It's so prominent that I even crave the approval of people on the road that I don't even know! If I screeched the tires or almost stalled out I immediately looked around to make sure no one was laughing at me. Why do I care about them? Why do I care what they think? Why do I feel the need to be perfect at driving a standard??

It's because I crave satisfaction in approval instead of in my new image. I was reading today Colossians 3:9-10, "...seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices and have put on a new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its Creator." What amazing, great, humbling News! I am no longer enslaved by my need for approval, my need for wanting to be "perfect" (whatever that means), but I am free in my NEW IMAGE in Christ. When God looks at me He no longer sees the filthy rags, but He sees perfection and righteousness through Christ and all of His splendor. That's so much more life-giving and meaningful than driving a standard without screeching tires. Because of Christ I can laugh at those things and drive on!

So, "who am I?" I am Kimberly Kruger Casanova, daughter of the Prince of Peace, the Giver of Life, the Creator, the Graceful Lamb, the Mighty Lion, Christ on High.