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- Selflessness Repels Frailty and Aging (1/8/16)1
- Transforming Generation Stress to Generation Joy (9/22/15)
- Ending Trauma's Emotional and Physical Pain (8/6/15)
Conquer Fallout of Identity Theft
[My friend Cindy Sheltmire and I wrote this piece together.]
Millions of people are affected annually by what is now considered one of the most prevalent crimes in the U.S. -- identity theft. It strikes a chord close to home. “Missouri is the state with the highest per capita rate of reported identity theft complaints,” according to the U.S. Federal Trade Commission’s 2015 Data Book released in February 2016. And we see this reflected in our local news reports.
Although wise preventive measures are considered an essential part of any personal or organizational plan, statistics also indicate that all the precautions in the world may not effectively protect us from a proficient adversary.
A recent symposium prompted us to think about our own experiences with identity theft, and the lessons we have learned from it. For both of us, the approach went beyond the ordinary practical measures to ensure security -- to searching for a more reassuring and solid basis of security and identity that would rebuild and fortify our well-being.
At first, we had the same emotions and fears many victims of identity theft face: feeling violated, angry, overwhelmed, stressed, and vulnerable to harmful ripple effects. But we learned to stand up to those emotions by elevating our mindset and shifting the foundation of our resolve to rest on a more spiritual basis.
Recently, I [Cindy] received a call from a merchant in a neighboring state, informing me that the new laptop I had ordered was ready for pickup. Because I hadn’t ordered a new laptop, I immediately knew what my next steps should be: contact my credit card company and report the incident; arrange for cancellation and reissue of my card; and inform law enforcement.
I also felt it was important to take additional steps. Beginning with the premise that a collective attitude of trust, confidence and integrity is essential to our economic system, I knew that I needed to trust in a sense of identity that depends on a greater-than-human system. I envisioned my identity as resting upon, and being kept secure by, a higher power – a power more competent than my own limited intelligence and responses, and more potent than the devices of thieves. As a result of my willingness to immediately turn to and trust in this power, I felt guided to take the appropriate steps, which resulted in the quick apprehension of the thief. My original feeling that my identity had been hijacked was replaced with a sense of divine security and peace.
A number of years ago, I [Deborah] answered my front door to find a police officer, who informed me that my credit card had just been used at a nearby business to purchase a $9,000 diamond ring. Earlier that day, someone had watched me “hide” my purse in the back of my vehicle, removed my purse, traveled across the street to purchase the ring using my credit card, and returned my purse to the vehicle. The officer kindly walked me through the steps I should take, and alerted me to other ways in which the thieves might try to use my information for their gain...and my loss. At the time, identity theft was an emerging crime, and people weren’t as accustomed to dealing with it. I felt pretty foolish, violated, and preoccupied with concern about the ramifications.
I thought about a Bible story that, though written long ago, offered me a lesson about identity theft. Jacob, a second-born twin, duped his father into granting him his brother’s birthright and blessing. This deception robbed firstborn twin Esau of the wealth and status that society considered rightfully his. Although it took years, Jacob earnestly sought forgiveness from his brother Esau, and endeavored to give back all that he’d stolen. Esau replied, “I have enough, my brother; keep that thou hast unto thyself.” I found it so reassuring that Esau moved on to experience abundance, despite losing what seemed rightfully his. But above all, each brother gained a clearer understanding of his true identity as neither villain nor victim. Both were deserving of birthrights and blessings that were guaranteed…not by a human, but a divine source.
From these experiences, we both learned something about the security of our identities. Identity is based on the qualities we represent as people, including integrity and intelligence, and they come from a secure, divine source. These more spiritual views have helped us both conquer the fallout we might otherwise have experienced, and be more fortified against the fear of susceptibility.
Cindy Sheltmire is a realtor serving the Columbia, MO area, and a member of First Church of Christ, Scientist, Columbia. Deborah Sherwood is a published health writer, and the media and legislative liaison for Christian Science in Missouri.
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