“Welcome to the Los Californianos celebration. May I please have your names and I’ll locate your nametags?”

It was a beautiful day, filled with the kind of sunshine Californians brag about and there in front of me sat a lovely Hispanic woman, welcoming guests as they arrived for a most unique celebration: a nod, of sorts, to common ancestry and history.

These were no ordinary nametags, however, and this was no ordinary gathering. Most of the tags not only sported a name but ribbons of different colors, stapled to the bottom edge of the tag. Every colored ribbon, I soon learned, represented a member of the original party of people — explorers and military men representing the Spanish government — who rode their horses north out of Mexico and into territory that is now the Los Angeles metropolitan area.

If you are a member of the Los Californianos Association, you have some kind of connection with that party of young soldiers who first arrived in the late 1700s. To become a member you must be able to provide genealogical documentation that you are a descendant. The more connections you can trace to your modern-day family, the more ribbons you will sport. On that beautiful summer day, complete strangers greeted each other as they paired with others sporting the same colorful ribbons on their nametags.

“How about that! We’re related!” was the talk of the day.

My husband and his father were two colorful guys, let me tell you. My mother-in-law and I, on the other hand, were each quite simply labeled, “spouse.” No ribbons. No shared ancestry.

So we enjoyed the incredible buffet, allowed our sense of humor to prevail, and celebrated with those who considered it great fortune to be a person in direct lineage with the early settlers of California.

Although it has been a number of years since that memorable afternoon, it came to mind this week as I walked through the Royal British Columbia Museum in Victoria, Canada. Their amazing exhibits depicting the culture and history of Native Canadian Indians left me privately asking a series of questions.

What comes into play for those with a strong identifiable heritage? How do you bring your heritage into the everyday events of your life, into your view of politics, into the way you maneuver and work in your nation? And what, if anything, may be owed to Native Americans and Canadians?

The complexities of such issues are enormous and extremely emotional to those who choose to honor their heritage and their family lineage—as well as for those with no strong identity with race, religion or creed.

God knew we would struggle everyday with such issues. And that is what entices me with my Christian faith: it crosses all boundaries. The goodness of God’s love prevails when humans do not. And not only does faith bring all individuals into a “family” of believers, but God approaches each and every one of us sometime in our lifetime with some pointed questions: What do you know about me? What do you see me doing in your daily life? Who do you say I am? How are you going to respond to people around you as a person of faith? What are you going to do about me?

God asks us to examine the most private parts of our lives and put into proper perspective the evil that went on and still goes on around us. He urges each of us to use our heads and our hearts instead of defining His movements in the world based on the questionable choices man sometimes makes in God’s name.

Did I see evidence this week in the Native Canadian displays that clearly showed Christian missionaries disrespecting the value of their lives and their culture? I did indeed and I filled with great regret, right there in the middle of the museum. Therefore, I took a moment to talk with my girls about what we saw and how we can avoid those same mistakes today.

No matter who you are, nor from whom you have descended, may you consider having a private conversation with God this week. Putting all aside like religious, family and cultural history — as well as neighborhood, community and national history — ask God to draw near to you. Ask Him to touch you, mold you, and shake up your world in ways that you will assure you that He is there, working.

It will surely be the start of a growing new identity, dream building, and surprising associations that will brand your future