Being an older brother, an uncle, and a big cousin, I’ve babysat quite a bit and seen a lot of cartoons and children’s shows. One that I secretly admit that I like is Spongebob Squarepants.
One episode that stands out in particular is the episode that Spongebob reflects on the day that he lost his nametag, his identity. It was hilarious to see him digging losing his mind, going over his day to try and find out where he might have lost it, then digging through a dumpster, reeking of trash, in order to find it. Eventually, he found it was behind him the entire time.
Now, in a way, there is actually a deeper message that can be missed in that plot line. It’s the idea that many people can lose their identities and how they spend some of their time searching for it.
I know that pain the poor kooky sponge endured. For years, my identify, my truth, was firmly rooted in the opinions of others. The names and labels and lies and identifies that others pushed upon me; fat, lazy, ugly, stupid, gay, crazy, unstable, bipolar…all of them were thrown unto me at some point in my life and I began to wonder if these were the words that accurately described me. And I soon found myself searching through my own life (taking those steps back like Spongebob) to find where in my life I had lost myself, hoping to rediscover who I was.
Then, like Spongebob found himself digging through dirt and mess and trash, desperate to identify himself, I did the same thing. Searching myself through the crazy stunts I pulled and things that compromised who I knew I was deep down inside. To the point where depression sank in, I began to reek of the mess and the sins that I sank deep into, and I couldn’t even look at myself in the mirror anymore without flinching and dealing with the consequences.
So, the big question is, when did I discover my identity right behind me? The day that I found my identity was rooted in Jesus Christ. When I gave God my heart and began to identify with Him, I discovered that He truly was where my identity lie, and that He was right behind me, ready to give me my name and my personality all the time. Now, when I found my identity, yes I reeked of the mess and the trash that I had once been crawling around in, but thank God He cleaned my heart and soul up. That He washed away the filth that once covered my life.
So, Spongebob, I know how you feel to lose your identity and the joy of finding it again. And, just as Spongebob shared his story with others around him at that cafe at the end, I also can do the same and share my story of finding my identity with others who may also not know what it is like to lose their identity.
That’s my story. I am now stamped and identified with Jesus. And I’m glad to know that I always will have that identity with me at all times.
The Book of James 