Beyond the Gospels: Acts

Today’s Scripture: Acts 26:1-11
(Click on the link to read today’s verses.)

“Go ahead, tell us about yourself.” In all of these verses, Paul tells Agrippa about himself. What would you say if someone said…

What first pops into your mind? Would you speak of your family… your kids? Would you tell of your accomplishments or career?

I attended a retreat this weekend where you are not allowed to talk about your profession. The first time I attended it was really hard to not talk about what I do day in and day out. I found myself wondering about the others I was with on the retreat. What does she do for a living? I even tried to guess each one’s career.

During this retreat, my seventh, it dawned on me I had not even wondered about it this time. Not once had it crossed my mind to talk about my work or their work. It is so easy to lean on what we do instead of who we are. Suppose I reworded this statement…

Who are we when we move past our career and family position? Who are we when we can’t talk about hobbies or pets? This may be the most important question we ever answer.