Whose Identity Are You Stealing?
About 2 weeks ago, I received 2 texts from what seemed like my bank, questioning charges on my debit card. I didn’t think much of it because I’ve received false texts before, saying they were my bank. Then I routinely checked my email and saw the same message. I logged into our account and sure enough, the charges were rolling in. I called the bank and they quickly shut down my card and issued a new one. Which, got lost, and I had to order a new one. I kid you not, 2 days later I received numerous emails from our HSA bank, stating fraudulent charges were being made. So, I logged in, and sure enough, hundreds of dollars were being spent. This card was immediately shut down and a new one sent.
Not going to lie, I was kind of to my wits end. If you’ve ever called the number on the back of a card, you know it takes about 20 prompts to get anywhere! The banks were just as befuddled because it’s not like it was the same bank. How in the world were my cards “stolen” just a few days apart?
I started to question whether my identity was stolen, but we haven’t had issues with anything else. Maybe it was just a coincidence? But it did make me wonder, how often do I “steal” someone else’s identity?
Identity is anything that characterizes a person. Their traits, appearance, beliefs, values, are all things that make up our identity. I was lying in bed one night and thought to myself, do I wish I looked more like that person? While scrolling through Instagram, do I wish I had that outfit, had their body shape, had their bronzed skin, blonde hair, magical vacation, their ministry, or what seems like “perfect” life? My friend, anytime we look horizontally and desire what another person has, in a way, we are trying to steal their identity. Now I am not saying that we can’t look up to others – I believe God has given us each other to grow our faith, challenge our beliefs, and spur us on. In fact, I love listening to sermons, reading books, and meeting with other people. I’m not trying to steal their identity, but be encouraged by the gifts God has given them. But if we are pursuing traits that are of this world, what good is it?
When we dig into God’s word, we start to understand the characteristics of God. How Jesus loved during his ministry here on earth. How he went to the Father in his distress. How he didn’t look to the things of this world for happiness and joy, but to the character of His Father.
Let this be a challenge for us all. The only identity we should be “stealing” is God’s communicable attributes (those that can be transferred to us). God uniquely created each of us to reflect HIS identity. Seeking anything outside of that, will only leave us unsatisfied, discontent, and envious. A life I don’t want to live. Keep looking up, instead of out, and you will find yourself reflecting the image of Him, more and more.
