When I was a kid my family was into rodeos. For those of you who know me, the thought of seeing me on top of a bust’ in bronco is either very humorous or quite scary. Believe it or not, every Saturday during the summer months I was trying to stay on a horse while it did it’s best to throw me off. More often than not the horse would win. I just was not a very good cowboy. Matter of fact I was a pretender.
In life, many people just pretend. They try their hardest to be something they’re not. Everyday they work in a job where they pretend, they live in a marriage where they pretend, and they associate with people all while pretending. They do not know what it means to be genuine.
Being genuine is about learning to be comfortable with you. Not faking it until you make it, but instead striving to be authentic in all you do.
In an effort to be genuine, I encourage you to evaluate the following…
Your speech – Do you speech how you feel or do you say what others want to hear? Do you say things to sound impressive? Do you try to make yourself look good? (Sometimes at the expense of others.)
Your life – Do you live what you say you believe? Are you doing things you love? When you commit to something, do you stick it out? What could you do better? Are you being true to your own personal convictions?
Your friendships – Are you able to have good and bad days with those you call friends? Are you able to express a different opinion and stay close? Do you hide your faults in fear of rejections?
Your direction in life – Are you headed where you feel God wants you to go? Are you able to use more of your gifts and talents? Are you staying true to the vows you have made to God and others?
Life is too short to pretend. The good news is that when we are willing to evaluate ourselves, we can slowly become more and more genuine in how we live our life.
