Saturday, January 31, 2009

Be Who You Are...

I recently started reading "Respectable Sins: Confronting the sins we tolerate". I can tell it is one of those books that I will read more than once. I am reading with a pencil, underlining the words, phrased and concepts that stand out to me.

Sitting in the car rider line at the Elementary School, I read. The author was describing the way our society has focused sin through an easier, softer lens - if we identify it at all - making it easier to minimize, overlook and tolerate.

He also calls us to "Be who you are". (whoa!)

He likens Christians to officers in the military - set apart for a distinct purpose, with distinct standards of conduct. Big or small infractions, he likens to "behavior unbecoming of an officer". Interesting concept. I thought of that for a long while... and of the "be who you are".

I've been aware lately of many ways that some great wisdom has been focused through a "world view" - and totally destroyed, or at least distorted. "Be who you are", for example. My perspective of "who I am", defines, how I live (which is true!). Through a worldly view of "who I am", my behavior would be very different than through a Biblical view. My thoughts, actions and perceptions are totally different - based entirely on the starting point... and where I set my eyes. Woman of God, or Woman of the world?

Daughter of the King. Set aside for God. Moriah - "God is my teacher". That is who I am. Is that who the world sees?

It was later on - in the bathroom, of all places - when the question hit. I'm not entirely sure if it hit my head or my heart - I felt it between the eyes. "Why are you afraid to be who God would have you be?" Not "ARE you....?", but "WHY are you....?"

Those are love/hate questions for me.... I love it that they come, and the process of working through them, hopefully discovering an answer and assisting in the removal of some of my stumbling blocks... but I hate it that they come, and the process of working through them. Sometimes, I'm not fond of answers and would prefer to keep my stumbling blocks, thank You very much....

I do not speak very publicly about my faith... though, as He would have it, I was given an opportunity to do so that very evening. "Be bold in your faith", I have heard again and again... and as I write this, the radio sings "Let my life song sing to You..."

May I be bold in my faith. May my Life Song sing to You. May I be who I am... the woman You would have me be.

2 comments:

Pam said...

I believe my dad has this book, i'll have to pick it up... thanks for sharing. I am totally hearing you on this one (but, it probably isn't really you, now is it? ;)

Linda said...

I do sometimes feel like the scribe rather than the author....