Who Am I?
Who am I? That is a cry I hear from many people. The problem begins when they expect someone else to tell them who they are.
Why is this such a problem? How can people not know who they are?
When you live your life in such a way that you draw back from being tested and run when God is tempering you in fear that the process may be painful, you will never know your own capabilities. You will also never understand your own strengths and weaknesses.
Why? Because knowingly or unknowingly you decided to stay comfortable.
It is much easier to stay comfortable than to challenge yourself or allow another to challenge you. We want to be safe, we want it all without it costing us.
Many lose their identity as they swim in the ocean of 'niceness'. They have lived so long trying to be nice to everyone that oneday they awake and wonder, who am I? Where did I lose myself?
To some extent we confuse 'niceness' as being christian spirited. Many think that in order to be a good Christian we have to be nice to everyone we meet. That is not what faith is about, 'niceness' is not gentleness.
If anything a longing to be perceived as 'nice' is actually a distorted form of self love. A person who is needy begins to live a lie. They become the image of how others see them, this then leads them to live the image and lose themselves while doing it.
The difference with niceness and gentleness is this; niceness wont speak the Truth(God's Truth) in case it causes offense. Or the nice person will remain silent even if they know another is in serious error or in danger of losing their soul. This is self love. A gentle person speaks the Truth without judgement even if it means losing a friendship, the gentle persons focus is on God and not themselves. This is selfless love.
When did we think that in order to be seen as 'nice' we have to be agreeable to just about anything?
A failure to speak the Truth to one who needs to hear it is a failure of love.
Until you have been tested in the Fire of God's Love by living and speaking His Truth irrespective of your own popularity, you know not love. We learn who we are when we have gone through adversity and when our mettle has been tested, but if we keep running, we wont grow. It is that simple.
Unless you are willing to accept that Discipleship costs, you will have thrown away the Pearl of Great Price for the shell.
If you spend your life running from difficult situations, you will remain a shadow of who you were born to be.
Why is this such a problem? How can people not know who they are?
When you live your life in such a way that you draw back from being tested and run when God is tempering you in fear that the process may be painful, you will never know your own capabilities. You will also never understand your own strengths and weaknesses.
Why? Because knowingly or unknowingly you decided to stay comfortable.
It is much easier to stay comfortable than to challenge yourself or allow another to challenge you. We want to be safe, we want it all without it costing us.
Many lose their identity as they swim in the ocean of 'niceness'. They have lived so long trying to be nice to everyone that oneday they awake and wonder, who am I? Where did I lose myself?
To some extent we confuse 'niceness' as being christian spirited. Many think that in order to be a good Christian we have to be nice to everyone we meet. That is not what faith is about, 'niceness' is not gentleness.
If anything a longing to be perceived as 'nice' is actually a distorted form of self love. A person who is needy begins to live a lie. They become the image of how others see them, this then leads them to live the image and lose themselves while doing it.
The difference with niceness and gentleness is this; niceness wont speak the Truth(God's Truth) in case it causes offense. Or the nice person will remain silent even if they know another is in serious error or in danger of losing their soul. This is self love. A gentle person speaks the Truth without judgement even if it means losing a friendship, the gentle persons focus is on God and not themselves. This is selfless love.
When did we think that in order to be seen as 'nice' we have to be agreeable to just about anything?
A failure to speak the Truth to one who needs to hear it is a failure of love.
Until you have been tested in the Fire of God's Love by living and speaking His Truth irrespective of your own popularity, you know not love. We learn who we are when we have gone through adversity and when our mettle has been tested, but if we keep running, we wont grow. It is that simple.
Unless you are willing to accept that Discipleship costs, you will have thrown away the Pearl of Great Price for the shell.
If you spend your life running from difficult situations, you will remain a shadow of who you were born to be.
Would YOU prefer to hear the hard Truth or a nice lie?
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