My desire is for you and I to stop pretending and\/or to stop living life mindlessly.<\/p>\n
Who Are You? Who am I?<\/strong><\/p>\n We are not self-made, we are created.<\/p>\n We don\u2019t exist by chance, we are designed.<\/p>\n For you formed my inward parts; We are known to God, we are not a mystery<\/strong><\/p>\n \u00a0 \u201cNow the word of the Lord came to me, saying, \u201cBefore I formed you in the womb I knew you\u2026\u201d Jeremiah 1:4-5<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cBut even the hairs of your head are all numbered.\u201d I cannot hide from God <\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cO LORD, you have searched me and known me! I used to read these verses and be bothered<\/strong> and frustrated that I had no place to hide. No place to take a vacation from the tedious work of living. Everywhere I went He was there. Everything I did, He was aware. Everything I thought, He knew. And everything I was going to say, He knew it beforehand! I had no escape; nowhere to run to.<\/p>\n But as I matured and understood God\u2019s love for me, couched in perfect grace and His constant awareness of all I was doing, thinking and saying it became comforting. My Father knows me, loves me, and is with me\u2026a perfect refuge.<\/p>\n This Frees Me to be Me<\/strong><\/p>\n As we go through life trying to look or sound a certain way in order to be satisfied personally or to meet the expectations of those around us, this becomes a life of pretence and a very heavy burden for us to carry. For a chameleon this is natural. For us, not so much<\/u>.<\/p>\n It is very freeing to be known just as we are, and still be perfectly loved.<\/p>\n Corporate life<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n I worked many years with my best friend who was\u2014and therefore did not need to pretend to be\u2014a gifted leader of people. One of his working principles was to \u201cwork with what\u2019s real\u201d. \u00a0Sounds trite, but there\u2019s so much wisdom in it. When we do not deal with what is really going on and attempt to avoid dealing with harsh or challenging realities, we unknowingly invest our time and energies into a fairyland of sorts. Applying spin or cosmetics to cover over imperfections is exhausting and unproductive.<\/p>\n This working with what is real included himself. He was just always him\u2014yes imperfect\u2014but never one to put on an act. He found it incredibly liberating to avoid personality politics, and it also allowed and encouraged others to just be themselves. This approach saves many hours, days, and years of figuring people out. People knew what they could expect from one another, which promoted predictable teamwork and collaboration.<\/p>\n Christian Community Living I remember growing up and my mom\u2019s mom, Nana, would stay with us. I vividly remember several of her sayings like \u201cgiddy up Napolean, it looks like rain\u201d or \u201cmalarkey dust!\u201d. Whatever she meant, they made us smile and still do. Another saying she often repeated when we were not behaving or acting as we should was \u201cBe yourself\u201d.<\/strong>\u00a0 This saying has stayed with me as a wise reminder to be real; to be who I actually am.<\/p>\n I stopped pretending a long time ago<\/strong>. I remember sitting with my small group at home. I<\/p>\n <\/p>\n asked them if they wanted to see someone who was sincere, determined and consistent in their pursuit of God and who desired to be like Him. They said \u201cyeah, that would be great\u201d. I then told them that I was that person and this week included me being anxious, depressed, slipping in and out of sin, exhausted\u2026and just being me, for Him.<\/p>\n We all are God\u2019s work in progress. (Phil 1:6).\u00a0 We need not show off our imperfections, but we do anyway. We don\u2019t need to pretend His work is completed, we simply need to Be Ourselves, because that is who we are.<\/p>\n God is Always, Perfectly Himself.\u00a0 He IS who He IS<\/em>\u2026.<\/p>\n Be Yourself<\/strong>.\u00a0 The world needs realness, empathy, companionship and example to grow.<\/p>\n[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][vc_row type=”in_container” full_screen_row_position=”middle” column_margin=”default” column_direction=”default” column_direction_tablet=”default” column_direction_phone=”default” scene_position=”center” text_color=”dark” text_align=”left” row_border_radius=”none” row_border_radius_applies=”bg” overflow=”visible” overlay_strength=”0.3″ gradient_direction=”left_to_right” shape_divider_position=”bottom” bg_image_animation=”none”][vc_column column_padding=”no-extra-padding” column_padding_tablet=”inherit” column_padding_phone=”inherit” column_padding_position=”all” column_element_direction_desktop=”default” column_element_spacing=”default” desktop_text_alignment=”default” tablet_text_alignment=”default” phone_text_alignment=”default” background_color_opacity=”1″ background_hover_color_opacity=”1″ column_backdrop_filter=”none” column_shadow=”none” column_border_radius=”none” column_link_target=”_self” column_position=”default” gradient_direction=”left_to_right” overlay_strength=”0.3″ width=”1\/1″ tablet_width_inherit=”default” animation_type=”default” bg_image_animation=”none” border_type=”simple” column_border_width=”none” column_border_style=”solid”][nectar_cta btn_style=”see-through” heading_tag=”p” button_color=”#000000″ button_color_hover=”#000000″ text_color=”#ff0000″ text_color_hover=”#ffff00″ button_border_thickness=”0px” link_type=”regular” alignment=”right” alignment_tablet=”default” alignment_phone=”default” display=”block” display_tablet=”inherit” display_phone=”inherit” font_size_desktop=”16″ link_text=”More Running Thoughts” url=”HTTPS:\/\/VALORDISCIPLE.COM\/BLOGS\/” padding_top=”10″ padding_bottom=”10″ padding_left=”25″ padding_right=”25″][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][nectar_cta btn_style=”see-through” heading_tag=”p” button_color=”#000000″ button_color_hover=”#000000″ text_color=”#ff0000″ text_color_hover=”#ffff00″ button_border_thickness=”0px” link_type=”regular” alignment=”right” alignment_tablet=”default” alignment_phone=”default” display=”block” display_tablet=”inherit” display_phone=”inherit” font_size_desktop=”16″ link_text=”Home” url=”HTTPS:\/\/VALORDISCIPLE.COM\/Home\/” padding_top=”10″ padding_bottom=”10″ padding_left=”25″ padding_right=”25″]\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" [vc_row type=”in_container” full_screen_row_position=”middle” column_margin=”default” column_direction=”default” column_direction_tablet=”default” column_direction_phone=”default” scene_position=”center” text_color=”dark” text_align=”left” row_border_radius=”none” row_border_radius_applies=”bg” overflow=”visible” overlay_strength=”0.3″ gradient_direction=”left_to_right” shape_divider_position=”bottom” bg_image_animation=”none”][\/vc_row][vc_column column_padding=”no-extra-padding” column_padding_tablet=”inherit” column_padding_phone=”inherit” column_padding_position=”all” column_element_direction_desktop=”default” column_element_spacing=”default” desktop_text_alignment=”default” tablet_text_alignment=”default” phone_text_alignment=”default” background_color_opacity=”1″ background_hover_color_opacity=”1″ column_backdrop_filter=”none” column_shadow=”none”…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1108,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","ub_ctt_via":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[35],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-1018","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-35"},"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"featured_image_src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/valordisciple.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/YourselfF.jpeg?fit=310%2C162&ssl=1","author_info":{"display_name":"himfirst222","author_link":"https:\/\/valordisciple.com\/author\/himfirst222\/"},"yoast_head":"\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/valordisciple.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/mirror.jpeg?resize=266%2C190&ssl=1\")
\nyou knitted me together in my mother’s womb.
\n14<\/sup> I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.
\nPsalms 139:13-14<\/em><\/p>\n
\nMatthew 10:30<\/em><\/p>\n
\n2<\/sup> You know when I sit down and when I rise up;
\nyou discern my thoughts from afar.
\n3<\/sup> You search out my path and my lying down
\nand are acquainted with all my ways.
\n4<\/sup> Even before a word is on my tongue,
\nbehold, O LORD, you know it altogether.
\n5<\/sup> You hem me in, behind and before,
\nand lay your hand upon me.
\n6<\/sup> Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;
\nit is high; I cannot attain it.
\n7<\/sup> Where shall I go from your Spirit?
\nOr where shall I flee from your presence?
\n8<\/sup> If I ascend to heaven, you are there!
\nIf I make my bed in Sheol, you are there!
\n9<\/sup> If I take the wings of the morning
\nand dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,
\n10<\/sup> even there your hand shall lead me\u2026\u201d Psalms 139:1-10<\/p>\n![](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/valordisciple.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Nana.jpg?resize=169%2C300&ssl=1\")
<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n