I love this video and the question that it asks, “Who are you really?”.

Are we being authentic?

I think that unfortunately many of us fall into the trap of trying to be who we think others want us to be. What the video highlights is what can happen when we are all pretending to be someone who we aren’t …

If I am honest with myself, and with the readers of this blog, being authentic as a missionary is challenging!

Being Honest and Authentic as a Missionary

I don’t always want to admit when I am struggling. When I am unsure or wavering in my faith of where God is leading me, or what He is asking me to do, I usually don’t want to admit it. There are expectations that I feel people have placed on me, and struggling with hearing from God and understanding clearing what He is saying to me is not one of them!

Although I know it is unfair to think, but I often feel like there are higher expectations on me as a missionary to be able to hear and obey God’s voice. Often I feel like I am under a microscope. Like the men in the video above I try to put on the “super spiritual” persona of someone who is constantly sure of what God is saying and where He is leading.

Unfortunately though, like many of us, I struggle with hearing God’s voice and times and knowing where He is leading…

• I am not perfect.
• I don’t stand unwavering at all times in my faith…
• I struggle…
• I hurt…
• I doubt…
• I fear…

But I press on, trusting that if I stuff up God will be there to catch me. As I walk in obedience and submission to Him and His will for my life He will be there to defend and protect me.

The Challenge of Humility

Even though God doesn’t want us to have that intimate of a relationship with anyone other than our spouse God still desires us to be humble and authentic before Him and others.

God opposes the proud
but shows favour to the humble. (James 4:6)

So, how about you, do people know the real you, or the image and / persona that you want them to know???