Over the last editorial calendar year, we have been walking a journey of becoming our authentic selves, or in some cases discovering it. So who is my authentic self? It’s a great question, and I take some comfort in knowing that this is a question that I will be asking and discovering for the rest of my days.
Over the last few months, I have been feeling a little out of sorts. It’s hard to describe, but I find myself being all over the place and not really clear about some things. It’s a little disconcerting because I had reached a point where I thought I knew.
On impulse, I looked up the definition of the word authentic in the Merriam-Webster Dictionary. The first meaning was the meaning I had been focusing on during this journey. It is the definition that says, “Real or genuine: not copied or false.” I had been focusing on my authenticity as a person trying to mirror a true and accurate reflection. You know how we talk about “being real” and not “wearing a mask.” But I also stumbled across another definition of the word authentic which says, “Made to be or look just like an original.”
So that was the moment that the light bulb came on. I had been focusing on my individuality, which is important. But I should have been focusing on a journey to become more like God – the original whose image I was made after.
Sometimes the whole “What Would Jesus Do,” motto can be trivial sounding. But I have been asking myself this question in certain situations where I know that I am not/have not reacted in a way that illustrates that I have ever met Christ. I am talking about getting back to basics like having peace, showing love, and not letting situations move me.
So in the end, my journey to becoming my authentic self is really a journey in allowing God to transform me into His image. The Bible is filled with examples of people who have been transformed to become more like God.
One of my favorite people in the Bible is Paul. Imagine his discomfort in his transformation from Saul to Paul. This transformation challenged everything he knew or thought he knew about his world. His meeting with Jesus challenged and changed who he was. That’s the way I am feeling. I feel unsettled and a little bit on edge. In the end, this is a good thing. Though I will admit I like to feel comfortable.
In this season, I am seeing things in myself that I don’t like. I believe God is challenging me to be better…to be more like Him.
In the center of my storm, at my most authentic self that comes from becoming more like God, I will have my peace in spite of. So the answer to the question, “Who Am I,” has nothing to do with my personality or anything else to do with me at all. The answer has more to do with who I am in Christ and what that means about my presence in this world. Who Am I? I am peace. I am love. I am pardon. I am faith. I am hope. I am light. I am joy.
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