Who Are You? By Michael McCartney
We need to answer the question “Who am I?”. Am I real or fake? Many today are wearing costumes all year round pretending to be something they are not, living in a delusional world. When we do this we lose the ability to relate to others honestly and openly.
The result loneliness and isolation.
The Question raises more questions:
Are you real?
Are you phony?
Are you genuine?
Are you are fraud?
Are you who you say you are?
Are you as you present yourself?
Are you one thing in public and another thing in private?
Are you wearing a costume?
Are you wearing masks of deception?
Are you open and honest?
Are you closed and deceptive?
Text: Proverbs 14:8 “The wisdom of the prudent is to give thought to their ways, but the folly of fools is deception.”
Swindoll states:
There is just one major difficulty in this mask-wearing game- it isn’t real. It therefore forces us to skate rather then relate. It promotes phony-baloney, make-a-good-impression attitude instead of an honest realism that relieves and frees. What’s worse, as we hide the truth behind a veneer polished to a high gloss, we become lonely instead of understood and loved for who we are. And the most tragic part of all is that the longer we do it, the better we get at it … and the more alone we remain in our hidden world of fear, pain, anger, insecurity, and grief–al those normal and natural emotions we hesitate to admit but that prove we are only human.
The result? Distance. Distance that makes you out of focus with me–removed from me by closed-off compartments that stay locked, keeping us from being able to know each other and, when and where necessary, to help each other (Dropping your Guard, page 10).
The process of being you:
1. Learn to recognize your masks
2. Remove the masks by becoming real and authentic.
3. Progresses to the point of loving, forgiving and accepting of others without a hitch.
Many of us mistakenly believe God does not want us to be Genuine or honest about our life. We somehow feel that if we become honest and open others and God may reject us. But the Word of God tells us that God does not want us to be superficial or something we are not, in our relationships with Him, with others, and with ourselves. David wrote, “Surely you desire truth in the inner parts; you teach me wisdom in the innermost place (Ps. 51:6)
The Lord desires truth and openness at all levels of our life, and he desires us to experience His love, his authenticity, and it comes through His church as an example to the world.
So just be genuine and authentic! Be you – remember God made you!
