Free to be Authentically Me - Sandra R. Harris

What do you think of when you hear the word Authentic? When I think about authenticity, I think about real, genuine, not fake, unique, and true. According to Merriam-Webster, authentic can be defined as genuine, honest, bonafide, certified, true, original, unique, and non-conforming.

Do you remember back in the day, before we had the copy machine, when you wanted to make a copy of something we used carbon paper? Carbon paper was placed between two pieces of paper to simultaneously create an original and a duplicate of whatever you were writing. If you pressed lightly, the copy was barely recognizable. Therefore, I would do everything I could to align the two pieces of paper together again, and this time press harder - only to end up with a distorted, illegible copy. No matter how hard I tried, I never could get the alignment just right the second time around. I don’t know about you, but because of the jumbled text, I would throw it away and start over, this time making sure to press hard enough to produce a good copy. As I think about this, there are some very valuable lessons here. One – that an original is always better than a copy, and two – is that you are not meant to be like everyone else, but you are uniquely you! When you try to be like everyone else, fit into a mold, or try to become what others want you to be, you end up becoming a distorted, hardly recognizable, carbon copy of someone else.

An Original is Always Better than a Copy

Being the wife of a Pastor, we are always under scrutiny. People are watching how you dress, how you wear your hair and make-up, what you say, what you do, your behavior, your interactions with your husband, and trying to read or analyze your expressions. Some of you may even find yourself trying to fit into a box of what others think you should be, what you should wear, and how you should act. If you are not careful, you could end up becoming a carbon copy of what others want or think you should be, instead of who God created you to be. Being authentic requires you to be able to stand firm on your values and beliefs and being bold enough to stand up for what you truly believe in. Being bold enough to be who God has called you to be.

Therefore, being authentically you requires courage. It is knowing who you are and being courageous enough to live it

Being authentically you means being truthful to yourself about who you are, your call, and accepting your strengths as well as your weaknesses. When God called the Prophet Jeremiah, the Lord gave him this message: “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” (Jeremiah 1:5, NLT). The Lord had to speak these words because Jeremiah acknowledged his weaknesses, telling God that he couldn’t speak and that he was too young. God was reminding Jeremiah, that He knew who he was and how old he was when He called him.

Likewise, God knows you just as He knew Jeremiah. He knew you long before you were conceived, and before you were born. Therefore, when you feel discouraged, inadequate, not ready, inexperienced, or think that you have to fit a specific mold of a “First Lady”, take solace in knowing that when God called your husband to Pastor, God already knew who his wife was. He knows who you are. God has a purpose in mind for you, and He promises to always be with you. I asked my husband how did he want his First Lady to look. I asked him if he wanted me in big hats, no makeup, and ankle dresses.

The most liberating thing my Husband/Pastor has ever said to me was, “Honey, just be YOU!

When God calls you and gives you a purpose to fulfill, He will also equip you, give you grace, and provide everything you need to fulfill the mission. You may not have it perfectly altogether, you may be in the infancy stage of your call, but God is with you in whatever stage of your walk that you are in. God is with you wherever you may go.

I do believe when we share, we learn and grow from one another. “As iron sharpens iron, so a friend sharpens a friend” (Proverbs 27:17 NLT). Being around other women and other “First Ladies” can help refine, challenge, polish and offer support to one another. However, God never intended for us to be a misrepresented, imitation, carbon copy of someone else.

He created you and purposed you to be free and authentically you!

Christ has set us free! So, go and stand firm in the liberty in which Christ has made us free and do not allow anyone to entangle you in bondage again.

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