With hockey season started and
the World Series (baseball finals) finishing I am reminded of the Stanley Cup (hockey
finals) riot in Vancouver this past year and my reaction to it. When I heard about the riot it made me feel
angry, disappointed, and ashamed by those people who “miss-represented”
Canadians and Canada.
I recently discussed “patriotic
feelings” with a friend of mine and it made me reflect on my reaction to the
riot. I realized that I placed most of
my worth as a person in my citizenship.
The actions of the rioters (strangers) personally affected my emotions
and challenged who I was as a person. I
have placed too much emphasis on who I am, in the world, and not enough on who
Jesus is. Jesus is the Son of God, he is
our saviour, and our brother. In Jesus
we are born again (2 Corinthians 5:17), and we have been adopted into God`s
family making us citizens of heaven (Philippians 3:2). Our true identity lies not in a pile of dirt,
a plastic government issued card, or anything else this world has to
offer us but it lies in God (Ephesians 2:19).
