Titles
"I'm not paying for that. It looks terrible." In my defense, I never claimed to be an expert cookie cake decorator. However, I did try my best and I needed the money during college, so I didn't want to lose my job at Great American Cookies. The lady who came to pick up the cookie cake "for her bible study group," that particular Sunday afternoon, was clearly unhappy with my work. Little did she know, it was far from the worst cookie cake design in my short career at GAC.
Busy with other customers and frustrated with what I perceived to be somewhat unrealistic expectations for a $16 cake made entirely of cookie and made entirely in the mall, I swallowed my pride, apologized, and told her I'd be happy to replace the cake. Taking my time and carefully focusing my attention on every detail this go round, the lady watched from just on the other side of the glass counter. I began my rework, using the chocolate and vanilla icing bags like Van Gogh used brushes and oil paint. She watched in silence until I began to put the cake into it's box. As I started to tuck the corners of the box, securing the top of the box to the bottom, she spoke up, "I'm not paying for that either. That one looks worse than the first."
When I told her I was unwilling to make a third cake and that I tried my best to rectify the situation to her satisfaction, she asked my name and my title. "Adam Moore, 2nd Assistant Manager" came my defiant reply. "Well, I'm calling your manager" the lady threatened with a smirk as she walked away empty handed.
I've been asked my title many times since that day. It's common to do so, isn't it? "Oh, what do you do?" "Where do you work?" "What's your title at your company?" It's smeared all over our social media pages, business cards, and at the bottom of our emails. It's one of the first things we utter with an extended handshake when we meet new people. It's important to us, because it's important to others. It's how we identify ourselves. It's how we compete. It's how we prove success to the world. Our titles are the status badges we wear with pride.
A few years after the cookie cake showdown, I found myself as an Assistant District Attorney in court being referred to as "General Moore." I hadn't spent a day in the military, but admittedly I liked that title. I was the same goofy guy that botched the cookie cake design in the local mall a few years earlier, but somehow now I was different, no doubt thanks to my cooler title.
Growing up, my uncle had a car wash in my hometown. I worked at the car wash on weekends during high school to save money for college. I'll never forget a co-worker there, who was actually a full time employee of the car wash. He jokingly told me when ladies asked him where he works and what his title is, he didn't want to respond that he works at a car wash but he didn't want to lie either. His solution? He told those that inquired, that he was a "Hydro Relocation and Distribution Engineer." Pretty clever I guess.
In a small group meeting at church a handful of years ago, when our Associate Pastor asked us to go around the room and state our name and "who we are." I didn't hesitate when I proudly told the group, "My name is Adam and I'm an Attorney." About half way around the circle, when every other member started with, "I'm enter their name, and I'm a Christian...."I felt stupid and arrogant. Oh, that's the point of the exercise, perhaps they won't notice a do-over? It was pretty eye opening about where I found my value and how I showed others my worth.
Contrary to our common mindset, the only titles and roles that truly matter, are the ones given to us by God. I'm a husband, a father, a son, a brother, an uncle, and a friend. God himself bestowed those titles upon me by blessing my life so immensely with the wonderful people He has placed in my life. What God calls me, and what I'm called to do in His name, is far more important than what I do in my life to support myself and my family financially. God tells me I'm "worthy," I'm "loved," I'm "redeemed," I'm "forgiven," I'm "His child."
In the Old Testament, when Moses was called to lead the Israelites out of Egypt, he doubted his ability to succeed in the task at hand, and like we so often do, Moses questioned God..."Then Moses said to God, “If I come to the people of Israel and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ what shall I say to them?” God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM.” And he said, “Say this to the people of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you.’” (Exodus 3:13–14)
How cool is that? Of all the boastful and magnificent ways God could have referred to himself, He responds simply, "I am who I am." God didn't need to provide any other explanation of His value and His worth to the world, and we shouldn't either. Let's stop competing, stop defining our success and our worth by what is printed on our business cards and we do during the day for money. "We won't be distracted by comparison, if we are captured by purpose." -Bob Goff. Let's stop trying to please and impress others. Let's tell the world "I am who I am," which is wonderfully made (Psalm 139:14) and completely His. "Child of God" and "Made in His Image" are pretty amazing titles.
Much Love, Adam
I've been asked my title many times since that day. It's common to do so, isn't it? "Oh, what do you do?" "Where do you work?" "What's your title at your company?" It's smeared all over our social media pages, business cards, and at the bottom of our emails. It's one of the first things we utter with an extended handshake when we meet new people. It's important to us, because it's important to others. It's how we identify ourselves. It's how we compete. It's how we prove success to the world. Our titles are the status badges we wear with pride.
A few years after the cookie cake showdown, I found myself as an Assistant District Attorney in court being referred to as "General Moore." I hadn't spent a day in the military, but admittedly I liked that title. I was the same goofy guy that botched the cookie cake design in the local mall a few years earlier, but somehow now I was different, no doubt thanks to my cooler title.
Growing up, my uncle had a car wash in my hometown. I worked at the car wash on weekends during high school to save money for college. I'll never forget a co-worker there, who was actually a full time employee of the car wash. He jokingly told me when ladies asked him where he works and what his title is, he didn't want to respond that he works at a car wash but he didn't want to lie either. His solution? He told those that inquired, that he was a "Hydro Relocation and Distribution Engineer." Pretty clever I guess.
In a small group meeting at church a handful of years ago, when our Associate Pastor asked us to go around the room and state our name and "who we are." I didn't hesitate when I proudly told the group, "My name is Adam and I'm an Attorney." About half way around the circle, when every other member started with, "I'm enter their name, and I'm a Christian...."I felt stupid and arrogant. Oh, that's the point of the exercise, perhaps they won't notice a do-over? It was pretty eye opening about where I found my value and how I showed others my worth.
Contrary to our common mindset, the only titles and roles that truly matter, are the ones given to us by God. I'm a husband, a father, a son, a brother, an uncle, and a friend. God himself bestowed those titles upon me by blessing my life so immensely with the wonderful people He has placed in my life. What God calls me, and what I'm called to do in His name, is far more important than what I do in my life to support myself and my family financially. God tells me I'm "worthy," I'm "loved," I'm "redeemed," I'm "forgiven," I'm "His child."
In the Old Testament, when Moses was called to lead the Israelites out of Egypt, he doubted his ability to succeed in the task at hand, and like we so often do, Moses questioned God..."Then Moses said to God, “If I come to the people of Israel and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ what shall I say to them?” God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM.” And he said, “Say this to the people of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you.’” (Exodus 3:13–14)
How cool is that? Of all the boastful and magnificent ways God could have referred to himself, He responds simply, "I am who I am." God didn't need to provide any other explanation of His value and His worth to the world, and we shouldn't either. Let's stop competing, stop defining our success and our worth by what is printed on our business cards and we do during the day for money. "We won't be distracted by comparison, if we are captured by purpose." -Bob Goff. Let's stop trying to please and impress others. Let's tell the world "I am who I am," which is wonderfully made (Psalm 139:14) and completely His. "Child of God" and "Made in His Image" are pretty amazing titles.
Much Love, Adam
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