Our church is preparing to go through James MacDonald's study, Authentic. Watching the first lesson in preparation to teach, what jumped out at me was this thought: We are who we are when no one can see us.
Think about that.
I can pretend to be a lot of things when people are around. I can fake being happy when I'm not. I can be friendly towards people I'd rather not be around. I can clean up my act when I know someone is watching, but that isn't who I am. That's an act.
Who I am is who I am when you aren't there.
The real me comes out when we're alone.
Let's just cut to the chase here. I (or you) might go to church every Sunday, but what about the rest of the week. When the "church" isn't around, are you spending any time with God? Is the only exposure to God's Word you get come on Sunday morning? Do you pray in any way other than to bow your head and think of something else when the pastor prays?
When you're alone, are you a follower of Christ? Are you a Christian?
Other than Sunday, do you know where your Bible is? Is it where you left it last Sunday afternoon? Does the same mouth that sings in praise to God on Sunday ever mention Him on Monday, Tuesday . . . Saturday, other than in vain? Alone at your desk, paying bills and balancing your accounts, is God even a thought? Sunday morning you might shake the hand of a stranger (or at least you should); what about Monday?
When you say you will pray for someone, do you? After raising your hand and singing, "I surrender all," or "I will trust in you," do you? After you leave the church, and no one's around, who are you?
Your mind, your eyes, your body--where do they go? What do they do?
What do you think about, what do you look at, what do you do when no one is around? When you strip off the mask, the costume, the cosmetics of who you want people to think you are, what is left? When you're not trying to pretend to be who you think you should, who are you really?
The private I is the real me. If I dwell on immoral thoughts, I am immoral. If my eyes feast on carnal images, I am carnal. If I do unholy things with my body, I am unholy. If I don't act like a Christian, I'm probably not. I'd dare not do these in public, but when no one's watching? That's when I will be who I am. If I am Christlike, my private life will reflect Christ. If I am not, it won't.
It is the unseen, private life I live that is the life I desire, and the definition of who I am.
And God knows.
Think not for a moment that you're fooling God. You might fool me. You might fool your neighbors. You might fool your pastor, your elders, your fellow church-goers, but you'll not for a second fool the all-seeing, omniscient God Almighty. There's no hole deep enough, walls thick enough, mask effective enough to keep Him from knowing who you truly are.
He knows what you think, what you do, and why. Big Brother may or may not be watching you, but I guarantee God is. Think no one saw that Snapchat but your secret friend? Think again. Think deleting your browser history covers your tracks? Not hardly. Think God doesn't know, or care, what you do or don't do when you're all by your lonesome? Who do you think God is? Who do you think you are?
When we are alone, that is who we are.
Think about that.
Don't like what it tells you?
Then be someone else.
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