Like the famous monkey in the Curious George books, my curiosity has landed me in lots of trouble. But 10 years ago, while on a writing assignment for Worldwide Challenge, my curiosity paid off. Every day I reap the benefits.

My assignment was to write about a staff member with Student Venture, the high-school ministry of Campus Crusade for Christ. During one of many interviews, I noticed a small chain peeking out from under Vince's shirt collar.

I wondered whether I should ask about the necklace—many men do not wear jewelry. It might be significant to the story, or it could just be an embarrassing and intrusive question about nothing at all. I decided to ask.

Vince pulled out a bright red dog tag on the end of a beaded chain. In the military, he explained, soldiers wear these tags to help identify their body, even if the body is burned beyond recognition. The tag bears important facts about the person's identity. Vince's tag was blank.

"Were you in the armed forces?" I asked.

No, he answered.

I asked more questions, excited about my find. Vince explained.

He wore his blank red dog tag to remind him of his identity: He is the property of Jesus Christ, purchased by the Savior's blood shed on the Cross. Vince wanted a daily reminder that Jesus shed that blood for him. He wanted to remember every day that his real identity was as a child of God, made possible because of Jesus' sacrifice.

Later I was discussing this idea of our identity in Christ in the Bible study I led at our church, and I remembered Vince's necklace. A few days later, I ordered a red dog tag online. On my tag, I printed the words of 1 Corinthians 6:20: "You were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body" (New International Version). When I sin and am tempted to shame, I feel that cold piece of metal against my chest and I remember: the Savior knew I needed saving. Because of His blood, I can seek forgiveness and start fresh.

Every day, I put that red tag around my neck and remember to Whom I belong. I remember what He has done. I remember the price—He paid it for me.

The 2-year-old girl flailed about on the floor of the grocery store, yelling at the top of her lungs:

"I want it! I want it now!"

Her mom stood next to her patiently, hands neatly folded across her chest, watching her daughter's tantrum.

"Are you finished?" the mom calmly asked, bending down to look into her daughter's eyes.

No words came from the little girl's mouth; her blond curls bounced as she nodded hesitantly.

I pushed my cart down the aisle while hearing the mom say, "I want what's best for you, honey," as she hugged her little girl.

I first had been disgusted at the temper tantrum, but then God's voice seemed to whisper to me: You look just like that sometimes.

When circumstances don't fall nicely in place like I hope, I have a tendency to look just like that little girl. I may not throw my body on the ground in the grocery aisle, but I certainly carry on, demanding that God answer the whys and hows. Yet just like the calm mother, God waits patiently while I grumble, holds me close, and whispers, "I want what's best for you."

I began the search with confidence. I remembered having a gift card on my desk before I had moved to my new house, but I hadn't seen it since. So I started looking. And looking. An hour passed, as my memory grew fuzzier and I felt my faith fading. I looked only at my empty hands, and started to wonder if I'd already spent it.

Unfortunately, I often do the same with matters of faith. When I consider my present singleness, I sometimes doubt that God really has a good plan for me. When I listened to my college English professors, I was tempted to think that the Bible was just another story. When friends and relatives die, I fight the doubt that death is really the end, and that nothing more will happen.

And I may always wrestle with these matters of faith, because the answers are rooted in a choice to believe. I'm forced to go outside of my experience and trust in the character and truth of God.

Thankfully, I have God's Word and the Holy Spirit to guide me. Every time I see Him changing the lives of my friends, or when I read the stories about how God is changing lives around the world, I am reminded of why I believe. But more than that, I'm assured of truth.

At the end of my search for the gift card, I found it tucked inside a box of checks right on the desk.

But my real search, my journey with God, continues.