I was recently challenged after reading an article by Dr. Liam Glover, Executive Director of Arrow Leadership. I was so moved by it, that I reached out to Liam and asked if I could use extracts from his article which was posted on Arrow’s Leadership Blog. Even though he did not know me, he was kind enough to allow me to use his article.
As many of my readers know, also mentioned in ‘About Me’ on the blogsite www.frommydeskathome.com, I am a person of faith, a Christian and a follower of Jesus Christ. I even created a category in my blogsite called ‘Faith & Culture’ to share aspects of faith and other culturally related inspirational essays, learnings and stories, just as I have done with my other categories of ‘Leadership & People’, ‘Family & Lifestyles’ and ‘Life’s Journeys’.
While some know of my faith, many people however do not know much about my DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid), the hereditary material in humans and in all living things. It is the DNA in us that determines how we look like, how tall or short we are, how big or small build we are and in recent times the science of DNA can determine our predisposition to certain illness including, both biological and mental disorders.
Source: Media from Wix
I have always been fascinated with the subject of DNA sequencing, ever since news broke in the mid-1980s about Professor Sir Alex Jeffreys having discovered techniques for genetic fingerprinting and DNA profiling. I was further drawn into the subject when, whilst travelling on a business trip from Melbourne to London, I sat next to a gentleman who was involved in the science of ‘mapping the human genome’. I do not know who he was, but he was just as excited telling me about his work as I was captivated listening to him. The technology surrounding the science of DNA has come a long way since I first read about the subject. Reading the article by Liam Glover brought all this back to me.
Liam writes of his recent holiday in the Northern Territory at Australia’s top end, when he came across a shirt in a shop which had on it a fingerprint in yellow, with a backdrop of red and black with the words, “It’s in my DNA” printed underneath the fingerprint.
Liam continued with his story by saying that “I didn’t need a shirt to tell the world that it’s in my DNA, but that my life should reveal that it’s in my DNA”. From that statement I felt it was telling me that, Liam as an indigenous First Nation person and a follower of Jesus, will not need to wear a ‘badge’ to tell the world who he is.
Like me, I do not need to wear a badge to say I’m an Australian citizen and a Jesus follower. My loyalty to the Australian Constitution and my outward behaviour as a Christian should reflect the DNA of Jesus in me.
There’s a Scripture verse in 2 Corinthians 5:17 which says, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, that person is a new creation. The old has gone, the new is here!”. In other words, the DNA of Jesus, which had replaced the old nature, is what I carry in me when I accepted Him as my Saviour. Like my biological DNA which makes me look and built the way I am, the DNA of Jesus is my spiritual DNA which causes me to worship, speak encouraging words, interact with others, make Godly choices and display the joy of the Lord in my every day life.
Liam’s article, continued to challenge me as I read through it. With permission the following are extracted (see italics) from Liam’s blog.
If Jesus is “in my DNA” then the data (metrics) of my life should reflect that reality. For example: The time I spend engaging in Kingdom activity – seeking the right ordering of life, pursuing justice for those without justice, enjoying beauty and artistry, engaging in creativity, encouraging reconciliation, etc. – should be noticeable.
Source: Media from Wix
The way I handle my finances should also bear testimony to Jesus being Lord of my life and King in his Kingdom. Living generously, my bank account should reveal me giving towards the local church, supporting those who are praying and acting towards the prayer Jesus taught us to pray, “your kingdom come and will be done on earth as in heaven” and being a blessing as the opportunity presents.
I would also be maintaining my connection to the vine (John 15) and increasing in my experiential knowledge of God and his son Jesus, through study, devotions and learning in community. “And this is the way to have eternal life—to know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, the one you sent to earth” (John 17:3).
In what ways does your life ‘data’ reflect Jesus in your DNA?
Similarly, if Jesus is “in my DNA” then the narrative (story) of my life should reflect that reality. For example: I would be sharing with others stories of Jesus’ life-giving work in those I know, pointing people towards a life with Jesus.
Source: Media from Wix
I would also be sharing stories of Jesus’s redemptive work in my life – not merely the time I came to experience his saving grace but his ongoing redemptive work where I “throw off those things that so easily entangle and sin” (Hebrews 12:1). In this way I am bringing testimony to the greatness of Jesus Christ through my words (and actions).
I would be inviting those who would listen to weave their personal story in with God’s redemptive story to discover God going “immeasurably abundantly beyond what we hope or imagine” (Ephesians 3:30).
In what ways does your life ‘narrative’ reflect Jesus in your DNA?
At this juncture of the article, I stopped and considered the questions the article posed. A moment of self-introspection overwhelmed me as I answered those questions in my spirit.
Liam continued his writing, by asking how the answers would then be applied in the organisations we work in, are part of, or are in fellowship with. The extract from the article continues in italics below.
Having reflected personally on the questions above, I then wondered how our answers would be different if we considered these questions at an organisational or departmental level.
How do your organisational metrics – key result areas / impact measures / return on mission – reflect the DNA of Jesus? We can sometimes be so consumed with sustainability of the organisation that attention to the mission / purpose of the organisation diminishes.
Might organisations that reflect the DNA of Jesus have, for example, proactive ways of reducing friction in internal and external processes (right ordering of processes). As well as justice and truth in all ways at all levels with all stakeholders and strategies to bring peace to unresolved conflicts?
Source: Pexels. Photo by Pavel Danilyuk
What organisational narrative is perpetuated, shared, and celebrated at team meetings, lunch breaks, company-wide announcements and through media releases that point toward, in part at least, flourishing lives? The enduring narrative, shaping organisational culture, reveals what is most important “around here.”
And of course, these two elements —data and narrative — interact with each other in an adaptive way.
I find most people can share a great story. These stories might be outliers (exceptional stories of transformation) or indicative of the average outcomes of our leadership or influence in the organisation in which we serve. Only data will confirm this reality or otherwise.
An engaging narrative stirs hearts and can cause people to act differently through allocating in new ways their resources (time and money). This compelling narrative informs data, which catalyses new stories to be told which again stirs hearts, and so on. There is an adaptive link between data and narrative.
Liam concludes by asking a series of questions. The one that stirred my spirit was, “So how does your Data, Narrative and Adaptiveness (DNA) reflect the DNA of Jesus?
You can read Dr. Liam Glover’s full article here.
I chose the title of this essay 'My DNA of Jesus is My Identity', not only to proclaim that my identity is rooted in Jesus Christ, but also as a personal challenge to live out my life for Him. As the Apostle Paul wrote in Galatians 2:20, "I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me".
You must be wondering after reading the above article, and me sharing my spiritual DNA, what my biological DNA is? Well!
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A few years ago, I submitted a saliva sample to Ancestry.com, a genealogy company, as I was interested in where I might have come from, or at least the ethnic mix of my family tree. With a Portuguese surname, born off parents from Malacca, Malaysia, from a precinct called Portuguese Settlement, and with a suspected mixed ethnicity, I waited patiently for the results.
Interestingly over the years the percentages of my ethnic mix have varied. As I understand it, the results are based on client’s DNA samples in association with DNA samples taken from various people-groups from around the world. Over the years as more people-group samples are collected and studied, results have become more accurate (or so we are led to believe). While it is not an exact science (i.e. ethnicity DNA mapping), as acknowledged by many of the genealogy companies, it does provide, as one author writes, “entertainment value”.
My latest ethnicity estimates and according to Ancestry.com “matched against a worldwide reference panel to see which populations my DNA looks most like”, are shared below. Might I add that they are shared, “for entertainment value”.
It is interesting to note that in previous results, my ethnicity estimates included percentages from the Iberian Peninsula, Polynesia, England and Eastern Europe. However none of these show up in the latest statistics. See below my current ethnicity estimates.
Southeast Asia 36%
Bengal 12%
Northern India 10%
Southern India 9%
Germanic Europe 9%
Northern Philippines 8%
Southern Philippines 5%
Vietnam 3%
Scotland 3%
Northern China 2%
Sweden & Denmark 2%
Iran/Persia 1%
While my ethnicity results have and will undoubtedly change over the years, as I mentioned determining ethnicity from our biological DNA is not an exact science, there is one thing that has not changed. And that is the spiritual DNA of Jesus. This is what the writer of the Book of Hebrews said of Jesus in Hebrews 13:8, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever”.
Source: Pexels. Photo by Rahul Pandit
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