The Master Status

The status set.

In the field of sociology, one way of defining people is by the different statuses they hold. A status is simply a social position that a person holds. I, for example, am a student, a daughter, a Christian, a sister, a youth director, a roommate, a woman, and so on. All of these things fall into my status set.

From a person's status set, one status is considered to be that person's master status. The master status is an individual's primary characteristic. It is the most important part of a person's identity. Because of its primacy, the master status affects all areas of a person's life.

It's like this.

I think the relationship between my master status and my other statuses looks like a cross section of okra. 

If you are not familiar with okra, it is an edible plant and you probably would not like it. Unless you know somebody who makes a mean gumbo. Or unless you like eating loogies. Okra is a slimy food that grows as a long green capsule containing many white seeds.

We have statuses. A lot of statuses. They are the white seeds contained in each capsule of okra. But there is one status that is not like the other statuses. The master status is the green capsule. All the other statuses fall within its boundaries. The other statuses are structured around the master status.

What's mine?

I bear the name of Jesus Christ. I call myself a Christian. A follower of Jesus. If I let anything else claim the title of master status, if I do not let my identity in Christ the most important thing about me, then I am doing something wrong. All of my statuses need to exist in light of the worthy Savior whose name I claim.

When I look at my status set, I am convicted. I know what my master status ought to be and I know that sometimes I let other things overshadow it. When I let something other than God define who I am, I am stuck in idolatry. God is jealous for us. He is not satisfied when we only allow him to occupy specific segments of our lives. God's love is so amazing, so divine. It demands our souls, our lives, our all.


May God be the green capsule of our okra-like lives.