From the 1950s sitcom Leave it to Beaver to perfectly-posed Christmas card photos, messages of untarnished families are far from novel. And now we even have social media, inviting our false portrayal of staged personalities to be showcased all over the Web. With this comes the opportunity for imaginary relationships. How true are Susanna’s words, from a woman born in 1669! Pretending we are someone we are not reminds me of the words of Solomon, “There is indeed nothing new under the sun.”
May we come to Him who knows us far more intricately than we can ever know ourselves.
May we bravely request eyes to witness the truth that He sees in us.
May we courageously and aggressively uproot all that is fictitious.
May we crave the beauty He wants to fashion in us, for His glory, not our own.
Only then will we be content and at peace with God’s careful, deliberate, and joyful craftsmanship of our personalities, our gifts, our talents and even the weaknesses He has allowed for our dependence on Him.
“I am leading you along a way that is uniquely right for you. The closer to Me you grow, the more fully you become your true self—the one I designed you to be.”†
† Young, Sarah. Jesus Calling (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2012), 382.