I was a bit taken aback at a recent Dept of Labor Advert that declared clearly, "Your work is your Identity". That ought to give us pause.
I must confess, when I meet a new person, one of my questions often is, "What is your day job?" Indeed, one of the most revealing things about a person is their occupation. And, for many of us, our occupation is our KEY identity. Among professors, we often go to GREAT lengths to describe not just our day gig, but details beyond most people's interest. I guess professoring is pretty prestigious, so we want to make SURE that folks know just how prestigious we are.
But, upon further review, I realize my thinking is wrong, as is many others. Our identity is NOT in our work, no matter how mundane or amazing our work may be. What we do is what pays the bills, and perhaps gives us an opp for ministry, but beyond that it says little about us as a person.
We are, and forgive the cliche, Children of our Father, the G^d who created the Universe. We have other minor identities, but this is the KEY one. If I could fully engage this identity for myself, but more importantly for others, the world would look largely different.
Our racism, sexism, whateverism, would fade greatly, and, truly would VANISH. We would see each person as a brother/sister or potential sister/brother. Jesus DIED for every person (please suspend our Calvinism for a moment here), and every person is an ETERNAL being with great worth to G^d... and to us, if we see them rightly.
L^rd, by your grace, help us to see others as of MUCH greater purpose than our occupation.
I must confess, when I meet a new person, one of my questions often is, "What is your day job?" Indeed, one of the most revealing things about a person is their occupation. And, for many of us, our occupation is our KEY identity. Among professors, we often go to GREAT lengths to describe not just our day gig, but details beyond most people's interest. I guess professoring is pretty prestigious, so we want to make SURE that folks know just how prestigious we are.
But, upon further review, I realize my thinking is wrong, as is many others. Our identity is NOT in our work, no matter how mundane or amazing our work may be. What we do is what pays the bills, and perhaps gives us an opp for ministry, but beyond that it says little about us as a person.
We are, and forgive the cliche, Children of our Father, the G^d who created the Universe. We have other minor identities, but this is the KEY one. If I could fully engage this identity for myself, but more importantly for others, the world would look largely different.
Our racism, sexism, whateverism, would fade greatly, and, truly would VANISH. We would see each person as a brother/sister or potential sister/brother. Jesus DIED for every person (please suspend our Calvinism for a moment here), and every person is an ETERNAL being with great worth to G^d... and to us, if we see them rightly.
L^rd, by your grace, help us to see others as of MUCH greater purpose than our occupation.
amen!
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