The Journey To Becoming Your True Self As Christian Millennials.

This is Sharon’s Rose, the Lily of the Valley. You’re like the lily among thorns, my darling among the maidens Songs Of Solomon 2:1&2. The Book of Songs of Solomon portrays Jesus’ love for His Bride, the church. These two verses show us how even in obscure places, beautiful things emerge. Sharon represents the desert and the desolate, while the valley is a deep place often concealed. In both areas, these delicate, beautiful, and fragrant flowers emerge. And in the journey to becoming your true self, you will encounter valleys and thorns that will either make or break you. Becoming a lily in the valley or a rose in the thorns takes courage and resilience. It is difficult to stand out and choose to be different when your surrounding does not embrace that.

In a culture where the status quo rules, it’s difficult to embrace your uniqueness and stand out. But for you to truly experience a life of fulfillment, you will have to embrace becoming your true self. This requires being okay to get out of your comfort zone, say no to people pleasing and embrace solitude. Until you can enjoy solitude, you will never become your true self. This is because it is in the stillness and silence that your authentic self emerges. Listen to your inner soul so that you can learn what your true self is.

Read also: 3 Amazing Keys That Will Help You If Fear Is Holding You Back.

As you become your true self it is vital for you to note that you need to first have a relationship with Jesus. You see, God is your creator and the only way you can step into your true self is by first giving Him the center seat in your life. You don’t need to figure it all out on your own when you have received Jesus as your personal Lord and Saviour. If you have never made Jesus your Lord and Saviour resolve to do so today. No one else can give you the revelation of your true self except the one who created you.

The Bible says that God gave you a purpose even before He created you. And to give you an example of that let us look at the life of Jeremiah. God gave Him a purpose before He was created. And God is no respecter of persons. What He has done for others, He has done for you as well.

Jeremiah 1:5

5   “Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you,
  and before you were born, I consecrated you;
  I appointed you a prophet to the nations.”

This world is full of many atrocities and it is very easy to let what is happening around us affect us and harden our hearts. Wherever you look, something bad is happening and we all have a choice to make. Will we let our hearts be hardened and become bitter, or will we opt to become a light in a world filled with obscurity and pain? Will you be a solution or part of the issue? As God’s child, you are invited to be a part of the solution and that starts with you becoming an ambassador and spreading His Kindness around you. Being a part of the solution requires you to become your true self, stepping out of the crowd and embracing your role as a child of God.

How then, can you become your true self as a part of God’s kingdom and embody becoming the lily in the valley and the Rose of Sharon?

Humility

When one is humble they are teachable and open to corrections. God is always pleased with humble people and despises the arrogant. When we are humble, we allow God to work in us and move through us. In our humility and total surrender to God, we allow His power and presence to radiate in us and thus we can exude His goodness to those around us. Humility is a posture of the heart that tells God that we want Him to use us. It also shows that we are totally surrendered to Him and His will and thus He can let His Goodness flow through us because we are not blocking Him or letting our way get in His way.

For though the Lord is high, he regards the lowly, but the haughty he knows from afar.

Psalm 138:6

Humility will open our spiritual eyes, and this enables us to see God’s heart. By doing so, we can do God’s will as He reveals His secrets to us. When you are in a place of honor, how will you conduct yourself? Will you choose humility and respect for all, or will you allow pride to take over you? Choosing humility in such a place makes you a rose, and the latter makes you a thorn.

Being humble is simply regarding other people above you. And no I am not talking about allowing people to walk all over you, it’s simply having a heart of service. While on earth, Jesus embodied that perfectly. His dying for us is the best example of His humility and heart of service. He even washed His disciples’ feet. And as Christians, we should aim to follow Christ’s example.

Spending time with the Holy Spirit

We already know that the Holy Spirit is the one who empowers us to live a Christian life. This means that in situations that could cause us to despair, harden our hearts and become cold, The Holy Spirit keeps our fire from growing cold. He gives us the strength to love those who hurt us; He gives us the ability to forgive and extend grace to others when it almost seems impossible. We can never do it on our own strength. Our fleshly nature will always rule if the Holy Spirit does not lead us. When someone shouts at you or hurts you, how you respond will reveal what you have been feeding. When you feed your spirit, you will allow the fruit of the Holy Spirit to lead you in your response to the reaction.

We each have an opportunity to every day be the light of the world. Remember, we are in this world and not of this world. We have to let Jesus in us shine so bright that others are drawn to Him. Again, this only happens when we are the rose and the lily, not the thorns. Reading the Bible, prayer, worship, praise, and stillness in God’s presence are all ways that we can spend time with the Holy Spirit and God.

Always remember that spending time with the Holy Spirit simply means welcoming Him into every area of your life and submitting to His leadership. Are you sensitive enough to hear Him when He is speaking? Are you humble enough to allow Him to guide your ways and redirect you as needed?

Repentance

We are human and this means that we are not perfect and thus prone to making mistakes. Fortunately, we have the Blood of Jesus Christ, which cleanses us and restores our oneness with God when we mess up. Do not beat yourself up when you lose track of who you are. Just ask for forgiveness and turn back to God. The Bible tells us He is faithful and just to forgive us when we sin. And as far as the east is from the west, He remembers our sins no more.

Repentance is turning away from our sinful nature. In becoming your true self, you will have to practice daily repentance. The Bible clearly states that all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. This means that no one is perfect. And you will make mistakes from time to time. But becoming your true self involves introspection and realizing your weakness. You know the best way to be a light to the world and a Rose of Sharon is by recognizing your shortcomings. This is because, as you recognize your shortcomings, you will find it easier to extend grace to others. And it is difficult to show grace to others when you don’t know your weakness.

Have you ever noticed that those who extend grace to others are those who have had their greatest sins forgiven? Do you know why? They understand that mercy is not receiving the full penalty for their sin while grace is receiving the best of what they don’t deserve. You and I have received the grace of God in full measure. And in your journey to becoming your true self, you need to be gracious to others. How else can you become the lily of the valley if you don’t stand out? Standing out means allowing the light of Jesus to reflect in and through you so that others can experience His love, mercy, and grace.

Authenticity

Standing out requires a very high degree of self-awareness and confidence. You cannot become your true self when you don’t know who you are. And for you to know who you are, not only do you need to have a relationship with Jesus, but also you need to be disciplined with the time you set aside to commune with Him. Let me ask you this: how self-aware are you? Do you know your likes, dislikes, your personality, strength, and weaknesses?

Have you come to the realization of who you really are? God wants you to know who you are in Him. But this will happen outside the noise and the chaos. You cannot have other voices speaking to you and expect to become your true self. At a time when the status quo is expected and embraced, standing out is difficult. And for you to step into who you truly are, you have to practice and embrace solitude.

Are you comfortable being on your own? Can you take time away to be by yourself? In order for this to happen, you need to experience healing and get rid of the inner junk. Once you have done that, you will find it easy to embrace stillness and silence. The people we admire who are a force to reckon with all understand the importance of solitude and so should you. God created you to be a solution to the world. This also means that you are a force to reckon with as you carry a solution that no one has. It is time for you to step into your true self and you can do so by practicing solitude. Start today. Check out my blog post on authenticity if you want more on this.

Scriptures that will help you embrace being your true self.

Romans 12 Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. 2 Do not conform to the pattern of this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

Isaiah 60 “Arise, shine, for your light, has come, and the glory of the Lord rises upon you. ² See, darkness covers the earth and thick darkness is over the peoples, but the Lord rises upon you and his glory appears over you. ³ Nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn.”

1 Peter 2:9 But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people; that you should show forth the praises of him who has called you out of darkness into his marvelous light:

¹⁴ Don’t team up with those who are unbelievers. How can righteousness be a partner with wickedness? How can light live with darkness? ¹⁵ What harmony can there be between Christ and the devil^[a]? How can a believer be a partner with an unbeliever? ¹⁶ And what union can there be between God’s temple and idols? For we are the temple of the living God.

2 Corinthians 7:1  Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.

Titus 2: 14. He gave his life to free us from every kind of sin, to cleanse us, and to make us his very own people, totally committed to doing good deeds.

Jeremiah 1:5 “I knew you before I formed you in your mother’s womb. Before you were born I set you apart and appointed you as my prophet to the nations”

Summary

For you to be a light in the darkness and shine bright in the desert, allow the light that is Jesus to illuminate you. He is the light of the world and as long as He is in you, you too will be a light of the world. He is love and when you soak in His presence and allow His liquid love to flow through you, you will also give out the same love. Remember, you can never pour from an empty cup and you can never give what you do not have. So run to the source and come out of the striving. Just rest in Him and let Him fill you up. He is all you need.

The world is hurting, and it needs you and me to reflect the light of Jesus. The rose of Sharon and the lily of the valley are examples of rubies in obscure places. And this can be you. You can be a ruby or a diamond in the dirt. Don’t conform to the patterns of this world. Be okay with being different and let your uniqueness stand out. And if you have a hard time believing that it is okay to be different, check out this post.

• WHY YOU ARE AFRAID OF BECOMING YOUR BEST SELF.
• DO YOU KNOW YOUR IDENTITY? (FIND YOUR IDENTITY!)
• PRACTICAL TIPS ON BECOMING YOUR BEST SELF
• WHY ARE WE AFRAID TO BE OUR REAL SELVES?
• What Is The True Meaning Of Christmas?

Today I want you to know that God created you to stand out, to be a voice in a hushed world, and to bring hope to the hopeless. It is time for you to arise and shine. Today and every day, God needs you to allow what sets you apart to be the thing He uses for His glory. It is okay to be different. Now go and allow your uniqueness to shine bright like a diamond.