dailydatewithgod

God is real.  The examples we can look to for evidence of authenticity is in sacred scripture.  Have you ever noticed that the lives of the people in many sacred texts is a mess?  Yet they are held out as examples of how to follow God.  How about the lives of saints?  When you look closely you see people who did not fit the status quo and in some cases were very eccentric.  So if being in relationship with God is about being ourselves we are in luck.  As Oscar Wilde would say, “be yourself, everyone else is taken.”  We were not created to be someone else.  We were created in the image and likeness of God.  This means God has many variations, expressions, feelings, insights, actions, dreams, characteristics, habits, and ideas.  We are raised in a family, a culture, a society, a religion, a particular thought system and they influence us.  These origins shape us and define us.  But our true authentic self was formed long before we were influenced and shaped by those outside elements.  More than anything I find in my daily relationship with God I am invited to examine if what I took on from other sources resides as true in my own heart.  It can be difficult to let go of ideas and ways of being that saved my life or made me feel accepted.  Honestly, it can be downright painful and severely uncomfortable.  But at the end of the day, it’s just me and God.  This is my freedom. When I pass on from this world the only thing that goes with me is me and God and I want to do so freely.  Each day on my daily meditation date with God as I am called to step into my heart and hear God whispering yet again the truth of who I am at my core.  Some days I am open and available and even desire to hear it.  Those are beautiful days and they encourage me to show up as authentically as possible. I hope today is one of those days.

If God desires for us to live from an authentic heart and express it the many unique ways we can, how might God reassure and encourage you it is enough to be your authentic self today?  Share in the comments.