LIFE LESSON: True identity should flow from the eternal not the temporal

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Bernie Maddof is an American financier who executed the largest Ponzi scheme in history, defrauding thousands of investors out of tens of billions of dollars over the course of at least 20 years,possibly longer.Marcus Jooste is a South African that is alleged to be the architect of the accounting scandal that engulfed retailer Steinhoff in late 2017, though he has denied the allegations.


The negative impact of what both these men did was felt beyond their families and loved ones, it was also felt by unsuspecting investors and people who trusted them with their hard earned money.


By all accounts both Bernie Maddof and Marcus Jooste are very intelligent human beings. They must have known that they would be caught at some point but they both continued their schemes for years. They both knowingly lived a lie for a long time, while projecting that all is well.


I have always believed that my true identity flows from my physical attributes i.e. race, gender, career etc. I now know that this is a lie.My take away from the stories of Bernie Maddof and Marcus Jooste is that it will be irresponsible of me to continue knowingly living this lie because the consequences are dire and they extend beyond me to my family and those that are close to me.


The Gospel teaches that the soul is the identity that makes me who I am. Therefore my true identity should flow from the soul and not my physical attributes here is why:


The soul is immortal

The soul is invisible but it is what makes us who we are,it is the seat of our memory, feelings, imagination, convictions, desires, and affections. It is immortal meaning it lives forever. Death takes life from the body, but not from the soul. The soul or the invisible represents the permanent part of who we are and the body or the visible represents the temporary part of who we are.The identity that flows from the visible is the identity that flows from the temporal.


The soul is more valuable than the physical being, but it is also by default hostile to the will of God and to make it comply with his will,he gives us the Helper who comes in us when we believe and acknowledge that Jesus Christ is his Son and our Savior. 


It is therefore important for me to allow my true identity to flow from the eternal instead of the temporal for the benefit my loved ones and the community that I exist in.


It is possible to achieve some measure of success if I continue to live the lie but I will never live the life God had in mind for me. Allowing my true identity to flow from my soul God's way is not the easiest thing to do but it is the price worth paying to be the best version of who I was created to be.


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