Faithfully yours - God knows your name - not your number
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- Published on Saturday, June 6, 2015
By Neil Strohschein
The Neepawa Banner
I don’t carry many cards in my wallet. I only carry the ones I need for work or for identification when asked to produce it (which isn’t all that often any more).
One card has been with me for 46 years. It is made of white plastic, with a red border. In the center of the card, in large type is a number—nine numerals in three groups of three numerals each. My name is printed beneath it. That number is my Social Insurance Number.
The federal government introduced the SIN in 1964. It was to be a Client Services number, used to keep track of contributions to the Canada Pension Plan and various government insurance programs. In 1967, Revenue Canada adopted the SIN for tax reporting purposes. Plastic cards like the one I have were phased out in March 2014 to help prevent identity theft.
Since 1967, thanks to something called “functionality creep,” Canada’s SIN has evolved into a universal identification number that we use to access all government programs. Our federal and provincial governments no longer identify us by name. They identify us by number. Every transaction we have with government—paying taxes, getting refunds, claiming CPP or EI benefits, getting a passport, etc.—is tied to that number we’ve had since we were young.
Now don’t get me wrong. Social Insurance Numbers have their place. They greatly reduce the possibility, for example, that the payroll deductions your employer remits to Revenue Canada will be credited to another person whose name is the same as yours. Likewise, when you apply for pension benefits, your SIN gives the person processing your application the ability to quickly access your contribution history and calculate the monthly payment to which you are entitled.
Having a number is one thing. Being treated like one is quite another. Sadly, there are times when people with legitimate needs seek help from government; but the treatment they receive is harsh, cruel and so lacking in genuine care and concern that the needy person says: “I’m just a number to them. Nothing more—just a number.”
We’ve all felt that way at times—and not just after trying in vain to secure help from a government agency. Sometimes those closest to us—members of our own families—can treat us the same way. So can people in business, community organizations and even the church. All of these groups are formed by and run by people. And sometimes the people closest to us will treat us as though we are just a number. It’s not nice, nor is it right, but it happens.
Are you ready for some good news? Here it is. The God who created you knows you by your name. He knows you as the unique person you are. He knows you better than a dozen best friends will ever know you. He was present when you were conceived in your mother’s womb; and like the caring shepherd about whom Jesus spoke in John’s gospel chapter 10, he has been with you ever since—watching over you, looking out for you and caring for you.
When you seek his assistance, the help God provides will be tailor-made to your unique needs. He will give you what you need, in the amounts you need for as long as you need it. And as your needs change, so will his supply of those needs. God will never treat you in ways that make you think you’re just a number, nothing more. God knows your name—not your number.
