Unlocking the Real You

As a preacher of the Gospel, I have the privilege of regularly standing before people as God’s mouthpiece. In this small window of time, it’s my objective to not only bring inspiration, but also transformation. Yet I’ve found that many people in our churches are willing to settle for something far less than transformation. How can that be?

Well, it’s time to be honest with ourselves. I don’t believe in the “fake it till you make it” philosophy. What I do believe in is just being real. Being you. Not the “pretend” you, but the you God made you to be.

Do you see what freedom it is to stop trying to impress people? Can you imagine the peace that comes when you no longer present a picture of yourself that is different from who you really are?

There’s nothing wrong with putting your best foot forward. But you need to make sure the foot you put forward is truly your foot, not somebody else’s. For whenever you seek to be something you’re not, you diminish your value.

Embracing Imperfection

An important step in unlocking the real you is giving yourself permission to not be perfect. Declare to yourself, even as you read this article, that you no longer have to live up to unattainable standards of perfection.

This means taking the pressure off yourself to perform. You finally are comfortable with who you are and how God has made you.

It also means recognizing that your value is not in copying trendy cultural standards determined by this world’s power brokers. You refuse to bow to the constant bombardment of media images that seek to destroy your uniqueness and make you a clone of their flavor of the year.

Taking off the Mask

Take time this week to ask those who know the real you what it is they like about you. You may be surprised by what you learn!

Your true friends will like the real you, not any facade or posturing. They will like the person you are when the phony lights and cameras of society aren’t shining on you.

The real you is a person who is changing…growing…transitioning. No, you haven’t “arrived” yet, nor do you need to convince anyone that you have it all together.

You will feel best when you can take off the mask of perfectionism and display a face that says with confidence, “This is me! This is the person God has made me to be. I am His workmanship, and my Heavenly Father loves me and is proud of me.”

It’s time to joyfully embrace the real you, my friend. You’ll be glad you did.