A Faith-Driven Identity

Many years ago in China, I attended a dinner party in a private room. The round table was so large that all 20 of us could sit comfortably around it.

There were three distinguished people – the host, who exuded influence and authority, and two guests who were important businessmen. One was the chairman of a large telecommunications company and the other was a film producer and financier. It seemed they were combining a dinner event with work – discussing an important project in a local dialect that I did not understand.

The rest of us were left alone, and it made us feel insignificant.

At long last, they arrived at some conclusion, and there was an obvious pause. Suddenly, I found myself speaking to the entire table.

When I heard my own confident, ringing voice, it dawned on me that I had not dwelled on my own inadequacies. Unable to match the host and his two friends in influence and wealth, my old self would have wilted right there and then. Instead, because of my faith, I felt worthy in their presence.