Biscuits and gravy are changing the world.
The U.S. hosted the Soccer World Cup this year. Or maybe I should say the Futbol World Cup? I really don’t know. I can easily tell you the number of soccer games I have watched start to finish: one. It was my three-year-old son’s and he didn’t so much play soccer as he did cartwheels and even at one point pulled out a light saber?? I have no idea where the light saber came from… all that to say, I’m not a big soccer fan and knew literally nothing about the World Cup until this year.
What really captured my attention wasn’t the game, but the foreigners experiencing our country for the very first time.
Frenchmen giving the chef’s kiss to biscuits and gravy.
The Italian guy who couldn’t believe he could have free refills on his soda.
Countless others gushing about Southern hospitality, beautiful Florida beaches, Buccee’s, Costco, riding horses, cowboy hats and all!
It was so endearing to my heart to see these little video clips and hear people falling in love with a country that I love, too.
None of those visitors met every American. They met one waitress. One cashier. One family. One stranger who offered directions. Yet those ordinary encounters shaped how they viewed an entire nation. Their impression of America wasn’t built primarily by monuments or politics. It was built by people.
That’s what ambassadors do. They help people imagine a place they’ve never been.
As an American citizen, I was proud of our people and our land for giving our best to those visiting. As a citizen of heaven, I believe our call and our method is very much the same.
I am a daughter to the King, and I have been tasked as an ambassador of His Kingdom to represent Him to the world around me. To invite others into His Kingdom as well.
In Philippians 3:20, Paul says, “Our citizenship is in heaven.” That means heaven isn’t simply where we’re going one day. It’s the Kingdom we already belong to. We carry its values into grocery stores, neighborhoods, churches, and dinner tables. We are citizens living abroad, representing our King wherever He has placed us.
Imagine someone who doesn’t know Jesus meets you and is suddenly like, “Wait! This is what Christians are like??”
What if you were their metaphorical first taste of biscuits and gravy?
What if your kindness was the first glimpse someone ever had of Jesus? What if your patience, your joy, your forgiveness made someone wonder, “Wait…this is what God’s people are like?” Long before they read a theology book, they met you.
I’ve been thinking a lot about the fact that transformation happens when we realize how deeply God loves us. When that truth has taken root in our soul, everything changes. Our identity begins to be shaped not by shame, expectations, or pride, 
but by the safety and security of knowing we are fully known and loved without condition.
You can’t convincingly represent a King you don’t really know. And you certainly can’t invite people into a Kingdom you secretly believe is harsh or demanding. The more convinced I become that my Father delights in me, the more naturally His love spills into the people around me. Transformation isn’t behavior modification. It’s becoming so secure in His love that His character begins to show up in mine.
No conditions, just pure, deep, affectionate love from a perfect Father.
You can run to Him in any moment and in any condition. No cleaning or polishing up required. He only asks for your heart so He can heal it and shape it to be more like His, more like you were always intended to be.
You belong to Him.
You belong to His Kingdom.
You are a citizen of heaven.
That reality makes me stand a little taller. Smile a little bigger.
Maybe changing the world doesn’t always begin with a sermon or a stage. Maybe it starts with something as ordinary as biscuits and gravy. A smile. A patient conversation. A forgiving heart. A life so shaped by the love of Christ that people leave wondering what kind of Kingdom could produce people like that.
We are citizens of heaven.
May the world leave our presence hungry to know our King.
Taking it deeper:
- If someone formed their entire impression of Jesus based on the way you lived this week, what would they discover about His Kingdom?
- Which truth do you need to preach to your own heart today: “I belong to Him. I belong to His Kingdom. I am a citizen of heaven.” How might living from that identity change the way you love, forgive, or serve this week?