Jim rarely calls me early in the morning when he travels. I usually get a “good morning ☀️” text around five since he knows I’m up. But when my phone rang at 5:45 a.m. a few weeks ago, I was startled. He was quick to tell me he was fine since he knew it was out of the norm for him to be calling, but that he did have a story for me.
“The weirdest thing just happened. I’m in my hotel room and that phone on the desk rang. At first I just stared at it thinking, ‘those actually still work?’ Then I answered it and a lady on the other end said “Is this James Rice?” I said “ Yes, this is Jim.” She was furious and came back with “James Rice from Phoenix Arizona?” “Yes, who is this?” “This is _______ Rice. You’re stealing my husbands identity!” I said “ excuse me?” Then she just went off about some email she received from the hotel and continued to accuse me of stealing her husband’s identity saying, “I’m calling the police” I said “Go ahead, I have all the identification I need to prove I am Jim Rice.” I was trying to figure out how this could have happened and to calm her down when I said “ I can understand your frustration. Does your husband travel to Houston? She was quick to pipe back with “My husband has never been to Houston.” “Well, there has to be an explanation for this. I will go talk to the front desk and have them give you a call back.” I went to the desk and it was an easy, silly mistake. Her husband, obviously named James Rice from Phoenix Arizona also has a rewards program at the same hotel chain. So when I checked in, they went to my rewards and accidentally hit his number and he received a confirmation email for his stay. Which his wife got. Man was she fired up. Anyway, I just thought that was a funny story and I’m still amazed those desk phones work. Have a nice day”. We got a good laugh out of it.
I was so curious who this ________ Rice might be. I know of another Jim Rice and we know several other Rice’s. It’s a pretty common name. There is even a famous Jim Rice who played for the Red Sox. My Jim got to meet him personally and that was a blast for him. So I found it interesting how quick this woman was to jump to the conclusion that her husband’s identity was being stolen in order to use a hotel room. However, things like identity theft are no joke. And it’s happening all over and in strange ways. So I can also understand her fear and frustration.
The thing that kept playing in my mind though throughout the day, was how calm my Jim was with this woman yelling at him over the phone accusing him of not being who he is. How he calmly replied to her threat to call the police. “Go ahead. I have everything I need that proves I am Jim Rice.” He said it with confidence and authority. Because it’s true. He knows who he is and can even prove it.
This made me think of one of my favorite songs “Who You Say I Am” by Hillsong Worship. A song about being who God says I am. Not who others say I am or am not, especially those inner voices that whisper in my head “You aren’t anyone special. You don’t belong, You aren’t really loved if you don’t feel loved, remember all your past mistakes? You don’t have anything to offer...” those are the things that trip me up on the daily. But those are lies from the pit of hell. My identity is in Jesus Christ. I am His, I am loved, I am chosen, I am forgiven, I am a New Creation, I am created with a purpose.... just to name a few. I don’t need to prove that. God says it, so it is so. That’s proof enough.
I have been once again, struggling with those voices inside my head and I think this hotel phone call was really a signal from God reminding me to look to Him for validation not others. That He did create me for a purpose and that He loves me regardless of my past. I belong to Him. So when I hear that annoying inner voice, “You’re not smart enough. What can you possibly bring to the table?” Or “You don’t belong”, I can calmly say with confidence and authority “I know who I am. I am who God says I am.” Because it’s true.
-Pressing On
“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”
Jeremiah 29:11 NIV
“But now, this is what the Lord says— he who created you, Jacob, he who formed you, Israel: “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine.”
Isaiah 43:1 NIV
“as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.”
Psalm 103:12 NIV
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!”
2 Corinthians 5:17 NIV
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