Mr. Collins’ Identity Crisis
One of my favorite characters in Pride and Prejudice is Mr. Collins. My girls and I crack up at him and here’s why: his social standing is nothing to brag about, so he tries to impress others by constantly dropping the phrase “My esteemed patroness, Lady Catherine de Bourgh.” Yup. It gets pretty annoying.
His constant name dropping is an attempt to bolster his own social standing in his own eyes and in the eyes of others. And of course, this pathetic attempt is seen as pitiful/nauseating/desperate in the eyes of the Bennet sisters. His identity is wrapped up in his acquaintance with Lady Catherine de Bourgh.
We can learn a lesson from Mr. Collins about NOT finding our security/identity in things other than Christ.
We often “drop” the names of the things we find security or identity in: Mother, wife, parent, home schooler, “attachment” parent, missionary, pastor’s wife, youth pastor’s wife, missionary kid, CEO’s wife, musician, teacher, artist, counselor, etc, etc…
What if you woke one morning to find that all of the titles that you once used to identify yourself, were suddenly stripped away from you? Would you find yourself in a crisis of faith, or in inner turmoil?
Four of my five kids are all very musical, but I can’t teach them that their worth is found in their music. If I were to hear one of my daughters constantly “dropping musical terms” ad nauseum, that would be HUGE red flag in my mind that they are more secure in their identity as musician than in their identity as child of God. I would see that as a major issue that needed to be addressed for their own good.
When you are tempted to name drop, or self promote in other ways, ask yourself “WHY.”
- Why do I need to be seen as ____________?
- Why am I not content to be known as a child/servant of God?
- What knowledge about my standing with God am I lacking?
Think about your “labels.” Are you constantly dropping “identity terms” like poor Mr. Collins? We are often blind to our own self promotion, but if you asked a trusted friend, I am sure they would tell you honestly. 😉
Tomorrow we’ll talk about having our identity grounded in Christ.
This was such an excellent post! We love pride and prejudice also and always enjoy the character of Mr. Collins because he is so truly pitiful. 🙂 I’m really glad that you pointed out his “name dropping” because it brings a whole new meaning to it…who really wants to be identified with Mr. Collins!!!! Thanks so much for challenging my thinking and encouraging me to identify with the Lord Jesus and not just what titles, positions,gifts or talents He may have given.
I’ve always found Mr. Collins to be pathetic, too. Amusing how we so easily over look the same weaknesses in ourselves!
My sister and I have been talking a lot about “labels” lately. We’ve had our fair share of them! If we are honest with ourselves and open to correction (from God and others), the Lord is so faithful to set us free from the bondage of insecurity.
Great post, as always!
Wellll you know what I’m gonna say about this, right? Spot on and well said.
And the pictures you’ve chosen are terrific! I love Keira staring at that piece of ham–such a perfect metaphor for what’s going on there.
Here’s to all of us fleeing from all that is Collins-like!
We love that scene! So AWK-ward!! Love it when he puts his hand up to his mouth to stop himself from interrupting.