There is much talk these days about people being true to themselves or being their authentic self. What people usually mean by this is that they want to be true to person they truly feel they are on the inside. In this mindset, objective facts do not really matter because subjective feelings are the master. In a more extreme case, this is why nowadays we see multitudes of boys and girls thinking they are not the correct gender. However, this "authentic self" mindset can reveal its ugly head in minor ways too. It is important to note that people who have succumbed to this dangerous mindset have only done so because of years of indoctrination. However, the rise of this influence does reveal that many people do have a desire to be genuine in how they identify themselves. People are fed up with the shallow and superficial fads that keep getting advertised to us on a daily basis and they want something deeper. As Christians, we should be all the more eager to embrace these people as we point them to the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ who alone gives us an identity and a purpose that is truly satisfying unlike the false messages of those who would have us believing in ourselves.
One of the primary issues with the whole "being our true authentic selves" ideology is that according to Jeremiah 17:9,
"The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?"
Can we really trust a heart that is "deceitful above all things"? If we trust our hearts then we will be led to believe all manner of lies and distortions. Our culture inundates us with messages that tell us to believe our hearts from the moment we are children and as we become adults we learn quickly hoe problematic this view really is. On the contrary, what does the Bible tell us is the correct thing to do instead? According to Proverbs 3:5-6,
"Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths."
The solution to truly living authentic life is to humbly trust in the Lord's sovereignty and wisdom. God reveals His wisdom to us in His word and we should trust His word because His word defines reality for us. We should not base our identity in how we personally feel or think but instead we should base our whole identity on who we are in Jesus Christ. This may seem like a difficult task, and trust me it is not easy, but when our identity if based on Christ that is when we will truly be free to live our lives the way that God intended for us. As the Westminster Larger Catechism puts it,
Q. What is the chief end of man?
A. To glorify God and enjoy him forever
Our purpose in this life and in the next life is to glorify God and to enjoy communion with Him. There is no higher calling in life than that. It does not matter what else you do in this life because if you are not glorifying and enjoying Him then your life is without meaning. Our lives should be so consumed with a desire to glorify God that literally everything else pales in comparison.
I hope that this blog helps you understand the topic of whether or not we should live our authentic selves better and I pray that this edified and challenged you too. Thank you for taking the time to read this and may the grace of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ richly bless you all. Soli Deo Gloria!
-David Lee Chu Sarchet
Christian Mental Health Advocate
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