Thoughts that have come from various quotes taken from the book, "Victor - Breaking Free From a Victim Based Society by John H. Hovis. Click here to link directly to the audio file.
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“You see, for the vast majority of us, we have chosen to link our identity to the things we do, the roles that we play. That’s not necessarily a bad strategy. But what happens when we feel that our success in living out a particularly key role with which we have been defining our identity goes in a direction that we didn’t expect? That’s when victim thinking can really take hold.”
As quoted from the book "Victor - Breaking Free From a Victim-Based Society" by John H. Hovis
Page 15.
Ever have a stranger come up to you and introduce themselves? I’ll bet it wasn’t but a few seconds until one of you asks the other what they did for a living. I’m not saying that this is a bad way to get to know someone, but that question is filled with victim thinking landmines.
Why is it that we are so preoccupied with what each other does? When you ask someone what they do for a living what is it that you are trying to get at with that question? For many of us, what a person does helps us to sum up who that person is. I don’t want to seem like I’m pointing fingers of judgement at you because I’m just as guilty, but what a shallow and prejudiced way of getting at someone’s true identity.
Sadly we have bought into the lie that the roles we play define who we are. If you are successful at what you do that isn’t a bad way to live out the issue of identity. But what happens when the roles you play aren’t as successful as you would like them to be? How willing are you to share your failures with a stranger who walks up to you and asks what you do for a living? Roles as a basis for identity leaves room for victim thinking to take over a victor’s life.
Our preoccupation with using roles to define our identity comes from the fact that we want to be viewed in the best light as possible. If my role is working really well I’m proud of “who I am” in light of that role. If my roles are failing me at this particular time, then shame can easily become part of my identity and victor living can become an elusive characteristic in my life.
Today’s Bible verse deals with the issue of roles when they don’t go the way we would like.
But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong. 2 Corinthians 12:9-10 (NIV)
Weakness, hardships, insults, persecutions, calamities… These are the nightmares of us all. They are particularly troublesome for those who rely on the success of the roles they play to define who they are. Victors have found it in their power to live above what they do. They have found a basis for identity that is eternal and can’t be shaken by how well they live out a particular role in life. This doesn’t mean that victors don’t take pride in what they do and work hard to make their roles a success. It just means that victors don’t see victory as the basis for their live as a victor.
There’s one benefit to the nightmares of life described in our reading today that victors latch onto in life. Through the challenges they have in living out the roles they play, God’s strength will be seen in the victor’s weaknesses. That’s the kind of eternal perspective that helps push victim thinking out of a victor’s life.
Why don’t you do something different today. As you face the everyday challenges that come against the roles you play today, how about letting the fact that God’s strength is coming through you whether you are a success in those roles or not? That kind of thinking is what will make the difference between you living like the victor you were made to be and letting victim thinking take more of a hold in your life today.
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“You see, for the vast majority of us, we have chosen to link our identity to the things we do, the roles that we play. That’s not necessarily a bad strategy. But what happens when we feel that our success in living out a particularly key role with which we have been defining our identity goes in a direction that we didn’t expect? That’s when victim thinking can really take hold.”
As quoted from the book "Victor - Breaking Free From a Victim-Based Society" by John H. Hovis
Page 15.
Ever have a stranger come up to you and introduce themselves? I’ll bet it wasn’t but a few seconds until one of you asks the other what they did for a living. I’m not saying that this is a bad way to get to know someone, but that question is filled with victim thinking landmines.
Why is it that we are so preoccupied with what each other does? When you ask someone what they do for a living what is it that you are trying to get at with that question? For many of us, what a person does helps us to sum up who that person is. I don’t want to seem like I’m pointing fingers of judgement at you because I’m just as guilty, but what a shallow and prejudiced way of getting at someone’s true identity.
Sadly we have bought into the lie that the roles we play define who we are. If you are successful at what you do that isn’t a bad way to live out the issue of identity. But what happens when the roles you play aren’t as successful as you would like them to be? How willing are you to share your failures with a stranger who walks up to you and asks what you do for a living? Roles as a basis for identity leaves room for victim thinking to take over a victor’s life.
Our preoccupation with using roles to define our identity comes from the fact that we want to be viewed in the best light as possible. If my role is working really well I’m proud of “who I am” in light of that role. If my roles are failing me at this particular time, then shame can easily become part of my identity and victor living can become an elusive characteristic in my life.
Today’s Bible verse deals with the issue of roles when they don’t go the way we would like.
But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong. 2 Corinthians 12:9-10 (NIV)
Weakness, hardships, insults, persecutions, calamities… These are the nightmares of us all. They are particularly troublesome for those who rely on the success of the roles they play to define who they are. Victors have found it in their power to live above what they do. They have found a basis for identity that is eternal and can’t be shaken by how well they live out a particular role in life. This doesn’t mean that victors don’t take pride in what they do and work hard to make their roles a success. It just means that victors don’t see victory as the basis for their live as a victor.
There’s one benefit to the nightmares of life described in our reading today that victors latch onto in life. Through the challenges they have in living out the roles they play, God’s strength will be seen in the victor’s weaknesses. That’s the kind of eternal perspective that helps push victim thinking out of a victor’s life.
Why don’t you do something different today. As you face the everyday challenges that come against the roles you play today, how about letting the fact that God’s strength is coming through you whether you are a success in those roles or not? That kind of thinking is what will make the difference between you living like the victor you were made to be and letting victim thinking take more of a hold in your life today.
