Every now and then somebody tells you something out of the blue that radically shifts the way you see yourself. What I was told tonight by an acquaintance is unimportant to write about, but the lesson from it is vital.

We spend a lot of time in life trying, consciously or subconsciously, to present ourselves to the people around us in the way we would like them to see us. If you want people to think you are funny, then you try to make jokes and play around when you are around people. If you want them to think you are humble and selfless, then you will do what you can to help people and not be a show-off, and so on. Everyone has an image that they want to portray.

But despite our best efforts, some people see us the way we really are. And if who you really are is what God wants you to be, people will notice. So don't try to be cool, or funny, or take-charge, or athletic, or humble, or quiet, or knowledgable. Just try to be what God is forming your heart to be. And someday, sitting outside on a cool summer evening, someone you barely know may tell you about a characteristic of Jesus Christ they see in you. And you will be blown away by it because it wasn't what you were "trying" to be.