You're Who?

Sometimes I think my life would make an interesting movie.


Without going into endless amounts of detail, I’ll give you the short and sweet version of my latest adventure...

After much confusion and a few unhelpful phone calls, I headed downtown late this past Wednesday morning to the Federal Building. Someone other than me was using my social security number to gain access to someone else. (Crazy, huh?!) The attempt was unsuccessfully because it was caught fairly quickly, thanks to my daddy and some other awesome people! But, to clear this up, I had to prove that I was me. Which is harder than you’d think. I assumed showing my driver's license would be sufficient, but it most definitely was not.

Thankfully the office wasn’t too busy and my situation was given attention almost immediately. I was ushered to a back room and told to wait. It was at this point that I could feel the tension I’d been feeling all morning quickly turn to anxiety.

I answered what felt like an hour’s worth of questions before getting fingerprinted. And I barely avoided having my finger pricked for a blood test to see if my DNA matched up with a previous blood test done.

So after being told that I indeed was the real Andrea Rose Stimmel, daughter of David and Julie Stimmel, I was given a signed and stamped document as proof to give to the appropriate people.

I got back to campus with just enough time to change out of my wet clothes before going to finish up a few interviews for a newspaper article I was working on. I had a normal morning in my apologetics class, a few totally bizarre hours, and was then dumped back into my normal life.

I temporarily felt like I was in a movie.


Since midsummer, I’ve been working with Moody’s Women’s Ministry group and one of our reoccurring discussion topics has been being “anchored in Christ”. I've been reminded numerous times that my identity and security is found in Christ alone. He is my anchor.

If then, you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. -Colossians 3:1-4

My life is hidden in Christ. My identity is then in Christ.


My identity is clearly not found in my social security number, my finger prints, or the DNA in my blood. And I'm increasingly grateful that, although my identity on earth can be questioned, my identity in Christ is unshakeable.