Skip to main content

Identity Theft

I read recently that 60 million Americans have been affected by identity theft. Sixty million. Here is some perspective. The state of California, the most populous state in the U.S., has a recorded population for 2018 of just under 40 million. Victims of identity theft have reported feelings of loss, devastation, stress, anxiety, fear, and thoughts of suicide.

Now, there are 240 million Christians in the U.S. as is documented by Wikipedia. How many of the 240 million would you guess has suffered from some form of identity theft? Consider Jeremiah 1:5 which tell us before we were conceived, we already had an identity.

"Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you."

Source Unknown
As I look back over my life, there is a definitive pattern of morphing from one personality into another.  Through subtle undertones or blatant criticisms, I allowed others to not only take my identity but to obliterate it. I experienced those same emotions of devastation, stress, anxiety, fear, and so on. Several people have asked me over the years why I would ever put up with this kind of thievery. Little compromises. Truthfully, there was never a conscious decision to accept this type of abuse. Fear and low self-esteem were the untrustworthy, mental gatekeepers who allowed the liars and abusers full access. I believed what others said about me. I accepted their labels as if my age, or upbringing, or hometown somehow made me a flawed individual. Sadly, I had more integrity and moral character than the pilferers lording over me.

"I became the true definition of the walking dead."

Song of Solomon declares the "little foxes spoil the vineyard." Those crafty foxes have names such as Rejection, Compromise, Self-Loathing, Abandonment, Failure, Trauma, Fear, Jealousy, Pride. Stop to reflect for a moment and you can probably identify the little foxes in your life, too. People, events, emotions that have reshaped you. Yes, even other Christians. So many of us have not only fallen victim to identity theft, but there is probable cause to convict the church world of felony theft and grand larceny by way of CONTROL and RELIGION. Remember, all life begins and ends with God. No one else has dominion over you. Therefore, God is the One we want to please not mere mortals who are just as imperfect. So, run those foxes out of the vineyard of your heart and allow God to tend to the garden of your soul so that you may bring forth good fruit.

At the age of 42, I'm just beginning to discover who I really am, who God created me to be.
I am finally free to be me. I am enough and no one can ever take that from me.

"For we are God's handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." Ephesians 2:10 


Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

People Pleaser

Hello, my name is Brittni and I am a people pleaser.  They say the first step is admitting you have a problem, right? Today, I realized this has been a huge stumbling block for me.  Many of the situations I have found myself in can be attributed to doing something I didn't really want to do because I thought someone else wanted me to or better yet, needed me to do.  I have compromised my own beliefs, taken responsibility for things that were not my fault, even made untrue assessments about myself all for the pleasing of someone else.  I called it being agreeable, keeping the peace.  Only, I didn't have peace.  How dumb is that? Joyce Meyer writes, "IT ALL COMES DOWN TO ONE THING…Motives… Why are we doing (or not doing) something? Are we being motivated by fear, personal gain or a sense of obligation? Are we being motivated by a desire to be in control, accepted or seen?  These are all the wrong reasons for doing something. Our motive for...
4 comments
Read more

The Refiner's Fire

The past couple of months have been difficult. Nothing earth-shattering has happened, no tragedies. I have been looking in the mirror of my soul. I have seen some ugly things. These "things" always come up when I pray earnestly for a clean heart. I'm referring to heart matters such as envy, jealousy, bitterness, unforgiveness, pride, idolatry, even. It's the ugliness I see when I say, "Father, that I might melt into you!" You see in order to become one with Christ, He has to clean us up. He has to bring those unsightly things to the surface that we try to bury inside (all the while praying no one else sees them) in order for us to deal with them. This is The Refiner's Fire. The fire that burns out the dross to bring forth gold. That same fire referenced in Malachi 3:2 which states, "...He will be like a refiner's fire or the launderer's soap." John the Baptist foretells of Jesus' coming with "His winnowing fan...
Post a Comment
Read more

Porcupine

Photo by Vadym “The porcupine, whom one must handle gloved, may be respected, but never loved.”               ~Arthur Guiterman Those who know me, even those who have followed my blogs, know I have struggled in relationships. Though it is true, many of the hellacious, short-lived relationships were the result of simply picking the wrong people--whether romantic relationships, friendships, even mentors. For this reason, it is particularly important to pray about every aspect of your life, not just "the big things." In all actuality, the simplest details overlooked can thrust you into the most difficult and most painful situations from which to extricate yourself. Often, this is where we experience being blind-sided. Through these tumultuous times, as we all do, I have developed a defense mechanism that I only discovered in the past few weeks. In my prayer time, a revelation came to me so clearly, I may as well ha...
3 comments
Read more