By Rev Clifford Chisha
Certain positions will cause you to be known to an extent that, if not careful, you will begin to define yourself by them.
You then build your life around those positions and when you lose them you feel as though you have lost everything.
You can lose your position or title but you cannot lose yourself.
At the end of the day, you will remain you.
Positions are given and they can be taken away.
This can happen as a result of retirement, retrenchment, being declared redundant or being fired.
When most of us were born, names were given to us for identification purposes. We were not given titles or the positions we have today.
How do people who have built their lives around titles behave?
They emphasize titles more than responsibility.
They enjoy being identified and addressed by their positions or titles.
Those who don’t address them by their title or position are regarded as disrespectful people.
Of course, there are some exceptions. Some professions demand recognition and mentioning of ranks.
Even after leaving their positions, they want people to address them the way they used to when they had those positions.
It usually become so difficult for them to accept the loss of their position.
Some get depressed or bitter when they lose their position.
When you lose your position or title, you will still remain you.
In Acts 21:17-19, we find a story of Paul and his team, among them, the author of the book of Acts who went to Jerusalem and gave a report to James and the elders.
Paul reported in detail what God had done among the Gentiles through his ministry.
Check the response of the people who received the report in the portion of Scripture below.
Acts 21:20
When they heard this, they praised God. Then they said to Paul: “You see, brother, how many thousands of Jews have believed, and all of them are zealous for the law.”
Paul, a powerful Apostle was addressed as brother and it doesn’t seem to bother him. It is evident from many portions of Scripture that Paul did not emphasize titles.
Some people get offended when addressed as brother or sister because of their “esteemed” positions or job titles.
Titles or positions come with their degree of respect but that should not be our primary goal-to receive respect but to serve.
It is very clear from Jesus Christ’s interaction with his disciples that he did not emphasize titles.
Overemphasizing titles usually breeds pride.
Putting all your titles or position aside, who are you?
What defines you?
