Free To Be Me

Often times, when asked to describe me, people say that I am "real," and I must say that I take this description as a compliment, whether they meant it that way or not. I do strive to live a life of integrity, honesty, and transparency. I try to be a "what you see is what you get" kind of girl. You know, the same no matter where I am or who I am with. If nothing else, I want to be consistent, because in the end, it will be my character that defines me.

Now, am I perfect?!!? Yeah right! Is anybody? In fact, my brother-in-law once said that he wanted to stand next to me because, and I quote, "Erin always says out loud what everybody else is thinking but would never say!" Obviously, this charming little quality of mine must get me into trouble at times, to say the least! Ha! But I have no problem admitting my mistakes or weaknesses! I am confident and secure in who I am. More specifically, I am confident in who I am in Christ. After all, we are told to "approach the throne of grace with confidence!"

All kidding aside, I do think that Christ calls us to be "real," and that we need to be true to this calling and not worry so much about what others may think. In fact, Jesus said to the Pharisees in Luke 15:16, "You are the ones who justify yourselves in the eyes of men, but God knows your hearts." The Bible talks about this very concept over and over again! Do these sound familiar..."the overflow of the heart, the mouth will speak" and "man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart?" And on and on and on...I could never list them all if I wanted to!

All this is to say, I would like to challenge you believers out there to join me in this quest for authenticity. Now, don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that we have to lay it all out on the table! Obviously, there must be a balance! Beth Moore's daughter says it better here than I ever could. One of my best friends here in town sent me this link, which is the entire reason for this post. It must have reminded her of me for some reason! :) Check it out, I love what Amanda has to say!

By the way, please pray for Christie, who is my aunt's (mom's sister) niece by marriage. She is a 30 year old, mother of 3, who was just diagnosed with breast cancer. She will find out tomorrow if the cancer has spread. She will need surgery and chemotherapy at some point. Pray for peace and complete healing.

"Hear my prayer, O Lord; listen to my cry for mercy. In the day of my trouble I will call to you, for you will answer me."
Psalm 86:6-7