In a culture that is incredibly bent on being successful and trying to influence you to be certain things: Be you.
For anyone that needs to hear this, please hear it loud and clear: You DO NOT have to be something you are not in order to gain favor with people. If you are feeling the pressure to put on a show or to tout about all the wonderful things you are or have done, please stop.
I am someone who struggles with approval. I want to be liked. Not just liked, I want to be respected and revered as a man people look up to. In my mind there is a slight problem with that. I'm not a physically strong person. I'm not a dynamic communicator. I have a slight southern accent sprinkled with years of striving to pronounce words the way they are meant to be said. I am not wealthy or have the nicest house or truck. I work in a factory swinging shifts. I'm not a power house of knowledge. I'm not a great theologian. I'm an average looking guy. I struggle to stay disciplined. The list can go on and on and on, but I don't want you to confuse this post for someone casting a line hoping to reel in compliments because genuine compliments do not come when there is a prompt setting the stage for them. There is one quality about me that rises above the rest that I will gladly boast in all of my days. Its the one quality that drives me to live and do what I can to steward what I've been given and that quality is this. Peep the bold font:
"But now that you have come to know God, or rather to be known by God,"
Of all the things I am, I am not simply a speck on this earth nor am I just another face in the crowd. I am known by the Creator of all things. He does not just know my name, He knows me at the deepest core of my being. He knows me and is delighted to know me. The stars of the universe stretch beyond what we can comprehend and He has seen and known them all, yet He delights in knowing me. He is my Father and I am His incredibly dependent child that He always welcomes into fellowship with Him.
Since that is true, let's pose this question: If the same can be said for you, why does it matter what other people think of you? If you are pleasantly known by the God who transcends above and beyond everything we can ever fathom in this reality and He is glad to know you just the way you are, why do you desire to alter who you are for the worthless opinions of other people? Reputation is a great thing to maintain, but gaining favor through deception or force is not satisfying nor is it fulfilling. The longer you chase after the admiration of man, the further from the joy of being known by God you run. It is the "aimlessly" active pursuits that keep us enslaved to the patterns of this world. The rest of Galatians 4:9 expresses this very truth:
"how is it that you turn back again to the weak and worthless elemental things, to which you desire to be enslaved all over again?"
The appraisal of another human is as faulty as a real estate appraiser asked to check the value of a precious jewel. They are no gemologist and thus gives them no power to give a true estimate of the magnificence found in every shimmer seen in something as rare and radiant. If you are seeking your value in the compliments of man, you may as well be seeking the compliments of a boar hog who cares of nothing other than the mud it can roll in. Again, a maintaining a reputation as an upstanding human being is one thing, but earning false respect will only lead to a facade that will crush your spirit and bond you to the unnecessary and voluntary chains of discontentment.
Be you.
Be the you that God created you to be and rejoice in the very fact that He knows you. You do not need a co-sign from anyone else because your life is stamped by the blood of Christ. He is not impressed with your resume or your accolades nor is He impressed with you abilities and your talents. He is delighted when His children rejoice in Him and their delight is not the opinions of man but in the finished work of Christ.
Christian: Be you because that is how He made you.
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