I prefer to be true to myself, even at the
hazard of incurring the ridicule of others, rather than to be false, and to
incur my own abhorrence.
Frederick
Douglass
If evil be spoken of you and it be true, correct
yourself, if it be a lie, laugh at it.
Epictetus
Wayne Dyer, a psychologist and lecturer of
positive thinking, once stated, “When you go into a room with 100 people you
have 100 reputations. You cannot control what others may think of you. But what
you can control is your character and who you chose to be.”
Mohandas Gandhi said, "Happiness is when
what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony." To me, this
is talking about integrity -- one of the most noble virtues a person can have.
Being who you are ALL THE TIME. Not painting a face on in an opportunistic way
that presents yourself in the most favorable light for whatever benefit you may
see. The thing is we all seem to have a side we don’t want everyone to see.
Inside we know it is flawed and not favorable when we carefully examine
ourselves. That is our fleshly persona and the aspect of ourselves that
operates minus the Spirit within. Romans 12:2 Tells us how to react to this
self that battles the Spirit.
“Do not be conformed to this world, but be
transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what
is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”
Be true to yourself and be truthful to yourself.
Realize your own shortfalls and mistakes. The only way to improve yourself is
by admitting your errors. Be humble with your abilities; realize what you need
to improve on. I believe this falls into being a good Christian, or for that
matter, just a good person.
"The individual has always had to struggle
to keep from being overwhelmed by the tribe.
If you try it, you will be lonely often, and
sometimes frightened. But no price is too high to pay for the privilege of
owning yourself." ~Rudyard Kipling ~
In Shakespeare’s Hamlet, Polonius is giving his
son advice on how he should live. The advice ends with “this above all; to
thine own self be true and it follows as the night the day thou canst not then
be false to any man”.
There is the story during the civil war of the
man who wore a blue (Union) jacket and grey (Confederate) trousers so he would
be safe. Unfortunately, he was shot at by both sides.
The
advice so often given “be yourself” is just as often misunderstood or ignored.
The reason being is that we really don’t know our self. Call it confidence that
allows some to readily speak to groups and the lack thereof for some to be
paralyzed with fear.
Being
true to you is simply being honest with yourself. Introspection is the process
of looking inward and seeing what’s there. No one knows what he or she will do
in a given situation but a good person will usually rise to the occasion. The
reason the Christian is better equipped to deal with the world is that they
have an inner strength to call on. Believing in something bigger than ourselves
makes us stronger.
Most often,
when we look in the mirror we see our face, hair, lips but seldom look deeply
into our eyes. The eyes are the gateway to the soul. Look deeply into them to
catch a glimpse of yourself.
According
to Charlie Brown, 'Be Yourself. Everyone Else Is Taken!"
2Timothy 2:15 says
“Do your best to present yourself to God as one
approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles
the word of truth.”
Introspection is a something we must constantly
be undertaking within almost simultaneously as we act in our everyday lives. It
gives us a window into who we are and who we desire to be and how to direct
ourselves to that end. It is the Spirit that guides and convicts and the more
we live in the Spirit the more we will find our lives in harmony to what God
has in store for us. It is when we rarely give pause to what we do, say, and
act on impulse and at our base instincts that the flesh becomes who we are and
we pay the consequences of those acts in profound and life changing ways. Ways
in which we find ourselves overcome with regret and self-loathing. To avoid
that we seek the Spirit and Jesus spoke of that when we hunger for the truth.
Matthew 5:5-10
“Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit
the earth. “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they
shall be satisfied. “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.
“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. “Blessed are the
peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. ...”
1Timothy 4:16 tells us it will not only be to
our benefit to stay in the Spirit as a protector of our own testimony but also
for the affect it has on others around us.
“Keep a close watch on how you live and on your
teaching. Stay true to what is right for the sake of your own salvation and the
salvation of those who hear you.”
Going to church does not make you a Christian;
nor does saying a prayer, going down an aisle, passing a catechism, telling
yourself that you are, or trying to be a decent person. You can only be a
Christian if Christ is in you, which can be tested and proven according to the
scriptures.
Test Yourself
2Cor 13:5 (NIV) Examine yourselves to see
whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ
Jesus is in you--unless, of course, you fail the test?
1Cor 11:28,31 (NAS) But a man must examine
himself... If we judged ourselves rightly, we would not be judged.
Lamentations 3:4
Let us examine our ways and test them, and let
us return to the LORD.
Our actions are a reflection of who we really
are and who demonstrate ourselves to be. Scripture can also help us in
understanding this about those who witness our behavior.
Mat 7:16-23 (NIV) [Jesus:] "By their fruit
you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thorn bushes, or figs from
thistles? Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad
fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good
fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the
fire. Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them. Not everyone who says to
me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the
will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord,
Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and perform
many miracles?' Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me,
you evildoers!'"
Also, Gal 5:22-23 “The fruit of the Spirit is
love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and
self-control. Against such things there is no law.”
In addition, the words of Jesus say it all and
give us the best answer in how to be that person we seek to be. That person who
is our true self as God intended. That person who represents a Spirit centered
life rather than one guided by impulse, self-gratification, and the flesh.
John 15:4-5, 8, 16 [Jesus:] "Remain in me,
and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in
the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. I am the vine;
you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much
fruit; apart from me you can do nothing... This is to my Father's glory, that
you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples... You did not
choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit--fruit that
will last..."
