We continue with the theme knowing my identity guards my heart and mind as I journey through life. So, this week I was in a meeting, and I felt bullied. To be honest I felt so beat – by another person’s strong opinion at a policy conversation which was really a battle of ideas. I realized that I have bullied others by my opinion and repented. I wrote a post of LinkedIn and here it is:

Happy Wednesday Collaborators,
I attended two meetings last week that made me think about my character and how it can empower or erode the self-esteem of others in the room or team.
This self-introspection led me to this statement from Paul’s letter to the Corinthians “Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility consider one another as more important than yourselves.”
Humility is an attitude of the mind. Humility is intentional. I realized that there are times when I have bullied others with my opinion and that is not acceptable!
“There is a thin line between confidence and arrogance… it’s called humility; Confidence smiles, arrogance smirks”. (Anon)
“Humility is not thinking less of yourself but thinking of yourself less.” (C.S. Lewis)
 “Senseless people find no pleasure in acquiring true wisdom, for all they want to do is impress you with what they know. (Proverbs 18:2)
To be senseless is to love impressing others with what I know. This is an area of growth and development for me in the days to come.

The potential to be bullied will most likely continue since I cannot govern another individual’s behavior. I must however be governed to stay true to my identity in Christ. My response is driven by my identity, my purpose and who I worship. So, I quieted my soul and went to Colossians 1 – a key scripture in the journey of my identity formation in the workplace since 2006.

Colossians 1:13-18 [The Father] has delivered and drawn us to Himself out of the control and the dominion of darkness and has transferred us into the kingdom of the Son of His love,

14 In Whom we have our redemption through His blood, [which means] the forgiveness of our sins.

15 [Now] He is the exact likeness of the unseen God [the visible representation of the invisible]; He is the Firstborn of all creation.

16 For it was in Him that all things were created, in heaven and on earth, things seen and things unseen, whether thrones, dominions, rulers, or authorities; all things were created and exist through Him [by His service, intervention] and in and for Him.

17 And He Himself existed before all things, and in Him all things consist (cohere, are held together). [Prov. 8:22-31.]

18 He also is the Head of [His] body, the church; seeing He is the Beginning, the Firstborn from among the dead, so that He alone in everything and in every respect might occupy the chief place [stand first and be preeminent].

• I have been delivered from a sense ruled world -though I felt bullied, I am empowered to believe that I am worthy and loved so feelings or insults do not interfere with my redeemed identity.

In social sciences Identity is the qualities, beliefs, personality traits, appearance, and/or expressions that characterize a person or a group. In the world people are driven by pride of life, lust of the eyes and lust of the flesh. The sense ruled response to the opinion bullying would be to compete and prove that my idea matters but am governed by the kingdom where I exist, where my worth is not in how smart I look before others rather in being a child of God – I am provided for, protected and positioned eternally – no need to fight over what is not lost.

• Everything that is begins in Him! And that is enough for me. My relevance is in Him. My gaze is fixed on Him and as I am captivated by Him all other things grow dim.
• The rank of Christ my dwelling place, my all is beyond threat. I have no need to be aggressive or manifest any behavior that is not Christlike! My sense of worth and value is secure.

Identity in the world is usually “work” they perform, accomplishments, the family they come from, and in the past couple of years gender or sexuality. Basically, identity by our own terms. In my study I have come across an interesting thought that when the enemy tempted Eve it was so she could have an identity by her own terms. Seeing the confusion around being and identity today – I agree – man was originally made by the Spirit of God, man’s life came from the breath of the Almighty.

Genesis 3:1-8 Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?”2 The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, 3 but God did say, ‘You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.’”4 “You will not certainly die,” the serpent said to the woman. 5 “For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”6 When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. 7 Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so, they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves. 8 Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden.

The good news is that once I receive the LORD Jesus Christ as my Master and LORD, I begin a new life in Christ.  Christ alone becomes the primary determiner of my “self” 2 Corinthians 5:17 Now, if anyone is enfolded into Christ, he has become an entirely new person. All that is related to the old order has vanished.  Behold, everything is fresh and new. From the Mirror translation – THE OLD WAYS OF SEEING YOURSELF AND EVERYONE ELSE ARE OVER. ACQUAINT YOURSELF WITH THE NEW!!!!

Paul in Galatians 2:20 My old identity has been co-crucified with Christ and no longer lives. And now the essence of this new life is no longer mine, for the Anointed One lives his life through me—we live in union as one!  My new life is empowered by the faith of the Son of God who loves me so much that he gave himself for me, dispensing his life into mine!

The word of God and family of God (Church)is the center where this new identity in Christ is shaped and formed!  Let us begin our new week in this promise .  Zephaniah 3:20 I will make you a name and a  praise among all people of the  earth (KJV) OUR RESPONSIBILITY IS TO YIELD TO THE FORMATION PROCESS BY EMBRACING SOUND DOCTRINE.

Father, we present ourselves to You, we commit to do Your Word.