For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be. Psalm 139:13-16

As we get ready for our third session of TRANSFORMED weekend services and small group sessions, I’d like you to reflect on some questions: Who are you, really?

What makes you YOU? We like to define ourselves by every outward mark we can think of.

Job. Degree. Affiliations. Status. Social circles.

But these only describe you. They do not make you YOU. So who are YOU really?

David sings about God creating his inner, inmost being. That substance and essence that comprises our spirit, personality, and demeanor. That part of us that is the pure, unadulterated you. The self.

The part of you that you probably only let a handful of people see, if any. The part that ends up getting covered and protected when we step into a world of hurts, overwhelming expectations, and selfish ambitions. We lose our true selves and trade them in for a cheap projection of who others want us to be, or who we think we need to be in order to survive.

But not who God has made us to be.

Who is that self tucked deep inside you, hidden by your protective projection?

Where is that child-like faith and spirit that God put in you and calls you to live by?

It’s hard to show it. After all, to show your true self is to run the risk of having your true self betrayed or taken advantage of.

But this is truly what makes you YOU. And this is what will draw others closer to your real heart, and closer to the heart of God.

There is only one you – don’t trade it in for the stock, generic personality and projection that our culture expects you to have in order to “fit in.”

You are God’s child. You are fearfully and wonderfully made. No one can tell you otherwise.

Enjoying the Journey,

Pastor Doug