Q & A

“Then who are you? Tell us, so we can give an answer to those who sent us. What do you have to say about yourself?” John 1:22

What is clarity worth to you?
I was told the following story at a very crucial time of my life. It’s been spinning around my head again so I thought I’d share it with you:

There is an old account of a rabbi who lived in pre-communist Russian over a century ago. Disappointed by his lack of direction and life purpose he wandered out into the chilly evening. With hands thrust deep into his pockets, he aimlessly walked through the empty streets, questioning his faith in God, the scriptures and his calling to ministry. The only thing colder than the Russian winter air was the chill within his own soul. He was so enshrouded by his own despair that he mistakenly wandered into a Russian military compound that was off-limits to civilians.
The silence of the evening chill was shattered by the bark of a Russian soldier. “Who are you? And what are you doing here?”

“Excuse me?” replied the rabbi. “I said, ‘Who are you and what are you doing here?!’” After a brief moment the rabbi, in a gracious tone so as not to provoke the soldier, said, “How much do you get paid every day?”


“What does that have to do with you?” the soldier retorted. With some delight, as though he had just made a discovery, the rabbi said, “I will pay you the equal sum if you ask me this every single day!”

This story*, however accurate it is, remains perfectly true even if you replace the rabbi with a clown or Russia with southern California. Many of us today wonder who we really are and whether or not we are on the right track or just off the rails completely!

What I find interesting is that this rabbi was willing to fork over his own money for the question, not the answer. Perhaps he knew that no person on planet could answer this for him. But as long as he remembered to look, he would find the illusive________it.

Yes, people will always love to smother us with their advice and expectations, but it is still up to us what we do about it. Nothing has changed.

There are many wells to drink from in this world, but there is only one that serves up bottomless cups of living water. Another kind of rabbi waits for you there. He knows all about you: where you’ve been and who you’ve been with. Only He has the eternal answer to the endless question:

“WHO ARE YOU AND WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?”

Will you hear what He has to say about_______it?

Walking Whilst We Wonder,
Brandon and Pamela Muñoz
WWW.FREEDOMHOUSE.ORG.UK

*The Rabbi Story is an excerpt from Doing Church as a Team by Wayne Cordeiro.