The Heart beyond the Badge

17
Identity
The majority of us do this the first time that we take the oath of office. It is who we become. Many of us even introduce ourselves by our last names only. The blue line is so strong that we cannot stop it. On and off duty, we are the police. The biggest problem with this myth is it is not healthy and our minds never have time to unwind. We meet with our friends off duty and 99 percent of our communication involves the you-will-never-believe-this stories of last week’s or earlier calls. It’s not that telling stories to our friends or family is bad, however, we need to be able to separate ourselves from the job. Our spouses and children need their dads or moms. They need the complete and whole humans that we are and not merely condensed versions of who we used to be before stepping into law enforcement. This may be one of the hardest devotions that you may read, but my friend, please listen and learn. Through all the death, chaos, and destruction that we see on a daily basis, we must be able to have a safe place away from the job. Consuming ourselves and labeling our identities solely as police officers never gives a chance for the mental first aid that all of us need. If not for ourselves, think of all the secondary exposure and transference that we can project to our spouses and families. Our wives or husbands do not need cops—they need their spouses and our kids certainly need their dads or moms.
Your identity should never be in what you do, but rather who you know. I am reminded of Galatians 2:20 which, says, “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.” If our lives are grounded in Jesus, then He is our identities. When we realize that a job does not make us who we are, we can accept the reality that the only identity we need falls on our Creator. As John 15:5 reminds us, “I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.” When Jesus is at the center of your life, all other things take second place. Your family and friends will see a power that is not from you, but comes from the Lord. Patience, self-control, love, trust, and faith will shine through you and not the nasty garbage that we tend to bring home from work. Let yourself find your true identities. Jesus is that, my friend, and wants to be the center of your world.
Prayer: Lord, I am thankful that my job as a law enforcement officer does not define who I am as a person. Thank you for the calling you put in my heart to be a servant to my community. May my identity only be You and may you transform my life in ways that I cannot imagine. Thank you for loving me. May I be a blessing to my family when I come home from work every day and always be the person that they need. Protect them as well Father. It’s through the name of Jesus I pray.
Daily Reading: Galatians 2