WHO ARE YOU??

I have been observing not just the life of others but really taking a good look at my own.  What I have discovered?  A question most of us find difficult to answer: Just who are You? Who am I???
 
Are you among the lot of us that hide behind masks so much that sometimes it's difficult to recognize ourselves? Are you among the crew who spend their days living up to expectations and definitions others have of you?
 
Do you change how you act, based on the crowd you are with? Or, are you who you are no matter the audience you find yourself among?  Are you one to do whatever it takes to "blend in"? Are you people-pleasing just to be among the so called "in-crowd"? How often do you just tell others what you "think" they want to hear to make yourself acceptable to the group??
 
If that's how you live your life, you are not living Your life. You are living a life behind a mask of other's expectations, constructed by a world that has created categories in which to place you.
 
The truth of our soul is powerful. The ego is sometimes more powerful.  My description of EGO actually implies...EASING GOD OUT.  THAT EGO, the opinions from others that ease God out, leave you doubting your TRUTH.
 
THE HOLY SPIRIT WITHIN US, is the only voice that presents us with power to move the ego aside and live our truth.  We all can use a bit of guidance on how to do this, right? Let me share what I've learned.
 
When you decide to live YOUR truth, begin by accepting who you are at each moment. The key to change is accepting who you are and by admitting what struggles you deal with. We can never solve a problem until we are ready to admit that there is a problem.
 
How often do we hear "Let your conscience be your guide"? Our conscience has a voice but it doesn't have hands. It can't make you do anything. You just need to listen to your conscience and act on its guidance.
 
Struggle is normal. The choices we choose may leave us disappointed sometimes. What matters is fully accepting who you are, and I mean fully accept, without judgment or blame.  That opens the gateway to your truth.  
 
Once you ACCEPT who you are, now you must ACKNOWLEDGE who you are. What do you stand for?  Are you standing up for the TRUE you? It’s wonderful isn’t it, being you? The true you, the one hiding behind past definitions is ready to emerge. Let yourself break free from the cocoon and fly. 
 
We need to stop allowing others to place us in categories.  BREAK OUT OF YOUR KINDERGARTEN TEACHING AND COLOR/LIVE OUTSIDE THE LINES!  Stop Allowing others to place you in THEIR imaginary box.  In their constructed lines. Live outside the box.
 
Next, define your truth.   Unmask what you have hidden from others. Stop avoiding what's on the inside. Stop allowing THAT INSIDE TRUTH, to be overshadowed by what society has told you about you! Remember that's just EGO...easing out the real you God created you to be. YOU ARE WHO GOD SAYS YOU ARE.
 
That's only hard to believe when you allow outside opinions to mean more to you than God's opinions of you.  This may take a bit of work... figuring out YOUR TRUTH.  In reality you already know it, but for whatever reason: fear of judgment, previous definitions, or denial, you have buried your truth deep within the abyss inside. If you stop, listen, and feel your inner-self, you will become aware of the truths that is within you. 
 
Take the time to connect to the HOLY SPIRIT, define your truth and roll with it. Coming out from behind masks takes courage. When you admit to the truth, live it loudly and proudly. Let no one deny you your truth. Be honest and fully into your truth. ,Don’t hide behind judgments, whether self or societal inflicted. Your  personal truth is just that, TRUTH. 
 
We have always been told to tell the truth and the truth will set you free.  So do it loudly and proudly.  TRUTH is, there is a real you hidden in each of us. We must never allow others to tell us who that real you is.
 
Except for God no one knows you better than you know yourself.  Why then give others permission to define you?  Seeking the approval of others and allowing others to define you, could mean that deep down inside, you disapprove of yourself.  Others can have their opinions of you, just don't  allow those opinions  to change the "real" you.
 
Much too often, we try to live up to others' opinions of us to avoid criticism. Can I let you in on a secret? The ONLY way to avoid criticisms is to:
​

• DO NOTHING.
• SAY NOTHING,
• BE NOTHING!

People will THINK what they may about you. You don't have to  conform to their thoughts. If you are a runner. Run. If you want to be a bell, RING! Just make sure that's YOUR decision, not one thrust upon you by someone else.
 
I think it's worth saying that circumstances or opinions do not make the man ,"it reveals him to himself." What one thinks and believes about his circumstances plays an enormous role in the true you.
 
The world will CALL you many things, you don't have to answer to them. Here's a new sin to avoid: Allowing others to place you in a category! God didn't mean for His children to BLEND into a group when you were meant to STANDOUT. We were made to be like God and He IS truth.
 
We can see right at the outset that the Bible identifies truth not simply as the absence of lies but as a quality intrinsic to the very nature of God, as was fully manifested in His Son Jesus Christ. Jesus not only spoke true words—He was, and is, the ultimate expression of TRUTH. 
 
Let's adapt a mantra from the Word of God for our lives: "For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother's womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well." --Psalm 139:13-14 English Standard Version (ESV)
 
WHO ARE YOU?  Until next time:
 
"To God be all the glory."
EJJ