Book review: Identity Theft by Mike Breaux (Originall posted January 6th, 2014)

Well, firstly, this book was recommended to me by a brother in the Lord, telling me that it had some good content regarding man as created in the image of God, which is a theme (and much more than that) that has been upon my heart for a period of a little less than a year,  and something that I have been finding very significant to understanding the gospel, and God's purpose for man (humanity).

So I got this book in the mail after having purchased it on Amazon, and read it while riding on the DC Metro train  on my way to work and back.  Before I get into the content of the book...the book is divided up into four chapters (each chapter dealing with a specific way that our identity can get stolen). Obliviously, this book is not dealing with your U.S. identity, such as birth certificate, social security information.

So on my way to work, I got through about 50 pages, and up to that point the content seemed like any number of articles that you could find of the web (except in a longer presentation since this is a book) that basically deal with some problems we get into in relationships: unforgiveness, control issues, etc.  I appreciated what Breaux had to say, but it wasn't anything exceptionally deep, helpful, or new.  But I persevered in reading.

When chapter 2 (out of 4) rolled around, titled "Mugged by the mirror," the nature of what was being communicated in the book started to change.  Breaux in chapter 2 deals with self-image, aka how we see ourselves. He gives some contemporary examples to kind of open the topic up a little bit (plastic surgery, images of famous people, etc.)  There was some neat stuff in there, but still nothing really touching and resonating within me.

Then I arrived to page 68, and I would like to give a couple of quotes from the book.  I really began to sense that Breaux hits the nail on the head with some of his statements, and he began to touch something that was really coming from the heart of God, like "that which was from the beginning" (1 John 1) type stuff, like God's original intention for humanity.  And the valuable thing is that he is communicating it in the context of our contemporary culture.

On page 68 he says,

"And as the lie is perpetuated and reinforced, way too many people - especially young girls - are literally dying in their efforts to achieve an unattainable image. I don't know about you, but to me the hole thing sounds incredibly sinister...
and you know why? Because it's all based on a lie that comes straight out of the depths of hell. It's a plan that the enemy of our souls has had from the beginning to distort our image, to distort the image of God, and to steal our identity...
In facet the whole image thing started a very long time ago, when that identity thief entered a garden called Eden. Take a look: Then God said, "Let us make people in our image, to be like ourselves...""

So that quote in particular really being to awaken something in me and resonate in me (perhaps the image of God in me), and at that point this book took off from being another cultural outcry book... Breaux at some points in this book really touches the heart the problems, or shall I say, the origin.

Later Breaux uses an awesome example related to a person's battle with their self image (it had a mind blowing and heart touching effect on me).  He relates the story of a lady that had been battling for years and years with an eating disorder, sometimes with victory, and at other times the compulsion overcame her.  So the lady wrote Breaux and explained her situation, really broken, hwo she battles with her self image, and in the end of the letter, she asks if, in the light of all the other problems going on in the world like aids, or poverty, or starving children, does her wrong self image matter to God?" The thought was 'how insignificant to God it must be that I have a screwed up self image....like I need to get over myself.'

Man, when I read that, I don't know how many times I have thought about people with similar problems (Struggles with their self image) and even told them the answer was to think about people who had it worse off then them, as if to belittle this problem of a false self-image were the solution.  But when I read that story, it hit me, that this battle is probably the most important thing that it going on in this universe (Not poverty or hunger or aids). The battle of the recovery of life in the image of God.  That mankind would discover that they were created in the image of God, and that it has been restored in Christ, and made available to us all in Him.

Mike Breaux

I will close this book review by recommending this book for all who find in themselves an interest in developing a proper view of humanity, a proper worldview, a proper self-image, and I will close with just a few more quotes that struck me...

"It is critical that we grasp the truth that we are fearfully and wonderfully made in His image." (75)

"I will not be held prisoner by the reflection in some silly piece of glass.  I will pursue no other image than the image of God in me." (77)