Being Myself
Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.
Matthew 5:48
I’m one of those people who is always reminded of songs. Any word or phrase, circumstance or situation can remind me of a song. Earlier, thinking about Thanksgiving, I found myself humming that old Sly Stone song, “Thank You (for Letting Me Be Myself Again).” Which was spelled, Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin. As it hummed through my head I started laughing. It seemed so ridiculous. I get his point, he was a bit out there, showing us all his non-conformity and he was giving kudos to the people who were letting him do it or as we say to today to the people who “got” him. To me it just was hilarious to have that in my head because I spend a portion of my prayer time every single day praying for God to change me. I see my faults, well, some of them, I know there are more I don’t see, and I want them to change. No, thank you I prefer not to be myself. In fact the lyric was thank you for letting me be myself ….again~~~~~~~~ UGH! No, no, no! My song would say thank you for helping me defeat myself again.
God is so good. When He allows us to see a sin or fault He is there to help us change and grow. We are called to be perfect as He is perfect and He knows we can’t do it. He knows we are lost, human, and incredibly fallible. In fact fail I am quite familiar with, victory often evades me. This is not a poor pitiful me stance. It is the truth.
So, in this week as I prepare for Thanksgiving in the usual way with my sous chef and his three assistants aka my son and three grandbabies, with music playing and silliness abounding I do not want them to let me be myself I want them to call me to growth. I want to thank God that He encourages that growth and enables me to attempt it. I thank God for always being Himself and allowing me access to Him through our precious Jesus, a gift I may never fully appreciate.
While writing this I was reminded of my young friend Joanna. A few years ago during a vacation together she and her friend exhorted each other to “act natural” as they attempted some sneak attack on Joanna’s mom and me. It was the culmination of a silly night with all kinds of borderline funny jokes and random conversations. “Act natural” has become our little tagline. We sign cards and messages to each other always adding, “act natural.” I guess you could say we’re ascribing to Sly’s way of thinking. Joanna is one of those gifts for which I could never forget to be thankful. She certainly lets me be myself but knowing she is observing me is one more reason to want to be a better self.
In this season of Thanksgiving and every day we need to be thankful that God allows us to be ourselves but invites us to grow into who He created us to be as well.
I’m one of those people who is always reminded of songs. Any word or phrase, circumstance or situation can remind me of a song. Earlier, thinking about Thanksgiving, I found myself humming that old Sly Stone song, “Thank You (for Letting Me Be Myself Again).” Which was spelled, Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin. As it hummed through my head I started laughing. It seemed so ridiculous. I get his point, he was a bit out there, showing us all his non-conformity and he was giving kudos to the people who were letting him do it or as we say to today to the people who “got” him. To me it just was hilarious to have that in my head because I spend a portion of my prayer time every single day praying for God to change me. I see my faults, well, some of them, I know there are more I don’t see, and I want them to change. No, thank you I prefer not to be myself. In fact the lyric was thank you for letting me be myself ….again~~~~~~~~ UGH! No, no, no! My song would say thank you for helping me defeat myself again.
God is so good. When He allows us to see a sin or fault He is there to help us change and grow. We are called to be perfect as He is perfect and He knows we can’t do it. He knows we are lost, human, and incredibly fallible. In fact fail I am quite familiar with, victory often evades me. This is not a poor pitiful me stance. It is the truth.
So, in this week as I prepare for Thanksgiving in the usual way with my sous chef and his three assistants aka my son and three grandbabies, with music playing and silliness abounding I do not want them to let me be myself I want them to call me to growth. I want to thank God that He encourages that growth and enables me to attempt it. I thank God for always being Himself and allowing me access to Him through our precious Jesus, a gift I may never fully appreciate.
While writing this I was reminded of my young friend Joanna. A few years ago during a vacation together she and her friend exhorted each other to “act natural” as they attempted some sneak attack on Joanna’s mom and me. It was the culmination of a silly night with all kinds of borderline funny jokes and random conversations. “Act natural” has become our little tagline. We sign cards and messages to each other always adding, “act natural.” I guess you could say we’re ascribing to Sly’s way of thinking. Joanna is one of those gifts for which I could never forget to be thankful. She certainly lets me be myself but knowing she is observing me is one more reason to want to be a better self.
In this season of Thanksgiving and every day we need to be thankful that God allows us to be ourselves but invites us to grow into who He created us to be as well.
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