Tuesday, October 28, 2008

Authenticity

You were born an original. Don't die a copy. ~ John Mason

Learn to... be what you are, and learn to resign with a good grace all that you are not. ~ Henri Frederic Amiel


I attended a conference earlier this summer where an overwhelming sense of "I'll never be what these people are!" began to take residence in my mind. Not that I didn't agree with the messages or heart of the conference; just that overwhelming sense of inadequacy. I found myself trying to be what I thought others might want for me to be or try to learn their "voice" instead of my own.

I have taken hold of that sense of inadequacy and asked the Lord to transform it into a healthy humbling, but not to allow it to hold me back from fulfilling the call that He has placed in my heart. It is a gradual process for me. One that I am still growing in. These are some of the Scriptures that He has given me to hold onto when I find my voice attempting to be one only of harmony and not that of the lead I know that He is calling me to personally:

Psalm 139:13-14 "For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I will praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well."

I Corinthians 12:18 "But in fact God has arranged the parts in the body every one of them, just as he wanted them to be."

Joshua 1:9 "Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go."

True peace and joy are found when we walk in the purposes that God has for our lives. If you are not yet certain what God has called you to, pray that the Holy Spirit will reveal it to your heart. Once it is revealed to you, hold onto it - write it down- and ask God to give you Scriptures to encourage your heart when you are questioning.

It is also sometimes difficult for me to follow carefully the steps that He is laying out before me. He has to remind me often not to strive, but to simply follow. We do not have to fight frantically to be what He has designed us to be, we just need to allow ourselves to gradually become as we know the Lord more intimately. We, as Christians, are all called to be like Christ, but not cookie cutter replications of each other. Allow yourself to authentically be who God has created you to be.

Many Blessings!

3 comments:

Daveda said...

Amen sister! If we keep our eyes on Jesus and keep relationship with Him number one we will be transformed into who we truly are; as we become who we are, we will naturally step into what we are called to do!

Stacey @ The Blessed Nest said...

Thanks for this post! Something I struggle with also off & on. A good reminder to focus on what God has called me to do/be, and not try to be like anyone else! He gave us our unique "talents" for a reason!! :) Thanks!

Anonymous said...

Hi!

Consider this your invite!! Hope you'll join in with us!

I am looking for as many people as we can find that would like to participate in a bloggy "Giving Thanks on Thanksgiving." I dreamed this idea up as a way to give thanks to the Lord for His work in each of our lives by sharing our testimonies with the world wide web on Monday, November 24, 2008. That's the Monday before Thanksgiving guys! Many of you may choose to leave that post up for the entire week and I encourage that. My prayer is that this sharing of our testimonies will not only encourage each other and give Glory to our Lord but also to those who happen upon our blogs.

Here's how it'll work:

Set to post to publish on: Monday, November 24, 2008.

In your post title put: "Giving Thanks on Thanksgiving: (Then insert a name for your testimony)" Example: "Giving Thanks on Thanksgiving: Renovations of the Heart"

At the end of your post insert the short paragraph (copy and paste if you want) below with a link to the dedicated blog located at: www.themouthbehindthemoose.blogspot.com (It reads THE MOUTH BEHIND THE MOOSE). I have set up this special blog just for the event as a way of directing people to where prayerfully 1000's of testimonies can be at their fingertips. Here's the blurb for the end of your post on that day: "Today, many of us bloggers have devoted a special post in which we are "Giving Thanks on Thanksgiving" by sharing our personal testimonies of the Lord's work in our lives and/or that of our families. Our collective prayer is that this sharing of our testimonies will not only encourage each other and give Glory to our Lord, but also to those who happen upon our blogs. To enjoy many more testimonies like the one you've just read please visit the "Giving Thanks on Thanksgiving" blog located HERE. "

Lastly, be sure you go to the dedicated site and add your blog to the Mr. Linky list so those visiting the site can find your testimony there. When you add yourself to the link be sure to do it like this so if they want to refer people to your testimony they can find it easier. Example: Heather (Renovations of the Heart) or Susan (Breast Cancer) or John (Loss of Parent)

Hope your testimony will be there too!!

Grace & Peace,
Heather Twitchell
Swallowing A Moose