I love to picture God as a master chef in his kitchen. As He was creating you, He considered his options for what ingredients to add. He surveyed his impressive collection of fine herbs, spices and seasonings. For example, He considered:
- Determination
- Perseverance
- Integrity
- Since of humor
- Wit
- Wisdom
- Kindness
- Mercy
- Tenderness
- Intelligence
- Good with numbers
- Out-of-the-box thinker
- Compassion
He took a pinch of this, a dash of that, a heaping serving of the other. He is the master chef. He brought together the perfect combination of traits to create you. He envisioned you with all your quirks and beauties, strengths and weaknesses. And He brought you into being.
He blended it altogether, formed you and brought you to life. Then, into the oven you went. You passed through the fires of life’s experiences. And you became who you are today.
The master chef looks on you with love, with joy and satisfaction in his creation. He wants you to be truly you. He doesn’t want you to hide out. and He doesn’t want you to hide who you are. That means no masks, no pretending. It’s time to get real.
It can be pretty scary to be authentic and to show our true self. It’s scary because if people reject us, they reject who we really are. It would hurt less if they rejected someone else we were pretending to be instead.
When we show people who we really are, we are letting the glory of the master chef shine through us. It’s all about trusting that the master chef knew what He was doing when He made us.
In my experience, the best way I’ve found to trust that people will accept me and love me as I really am, is to start testing it out. I lowered the mask and found that people responded well. I get a much better response from other people when I am genuine then when I am putting on a front.
This week I encourage you to choose to trust who you are and that people will respond well to you when you are genuine and authentic. Put this to the test. I believe the master chef will smile when you show off his work. And I believe you will be far more effective in touching the lives of other people, too.
