How to be Authentic.

I remember at 21 thinking that I had figured out life. I graduated college and was a graduate student at the young age of 21 and thought my dedication to being better set me apart. Little did I know that there was a whole world out there I knew nothing about. I soon learned that there were still MANY areas I needed to grow in. The area I will talk about today is authenticity.

When people think of being authentic, they might think about being able to be themselves around other people. That principle is true, however, let's dig a little deeper. How much time do you spend learning about your "inner self"? What I mean is, do you search to understand how you got to the place where you are today? Did it happen because you were trying to be someone else? Were you trying to NOT be like your parents? Were you trying to hit a certain level of success? Were you running away from something? These are all questions that we have to ask ourselves in order to live our best life. If not, they can eventually leak out into other areas of your life. 

I remember being newly married and wondering why I was struggling so much with being comfortable with my new husband. I had no idea why I was having nightmares when I slept and was really struggling emotionally. It took me a while to understand that a lot of childhood trauma that I never knew how to deal with (nor did I know that I really ignored) was creeping back up in this new season in my life. At first, I thought that I had to make it all better by telling him EVERYTHING that was going on in my mind. I found, though, that this was not helping. THERE WERE LIES that I believed about myself and they affected the way I saw myself and how I interacted with Tim.

So my question to you today, is, what do YOU believe about yourself? You cannot be your authentic self if you don't know who you are. You are not a doctor, lawyer, pastor, politician, stay at home mom, or even a broken person. Think of it this way. If you were stranded on an island, what would make you valuable enough to be saved? Would it be because you had a position or would it be just because you're a human? I know that we don't always value humans in our world, and that has left some of us hardened to the value of our humanity, but THAT DOESN'T MEAN YOU'RE NOT VALUABLE!!! If someone throws away a 3 carat diamond ring, that doesn't mean it's not valuable! Just because one person doesn't acknowledge your value does not mean that it is not there.

Here are 5 ways you can be more authentic today:

1. Seek something greater than yourself!

(Ask God how he wants to use you to serve. Spend this time of fasting seeking him for the sake of others (intercession). Read Is 58)

2. Seek professional help when necessary.

(If you are struggling with depression or ANY illness, don't avoid a counselor or a medical doctor. You will do more harm than good avoiding situations. Trust me, others can see it anyway)

3. Learn ways to grow in a healthy community with others.

(This can be a local church, support groups, local volunteering, etc. The main thing is to find people to grow with that don't mind you being better than them! No haters allowed)

4. Take inventory.

(Spend time without the distractions of work, school, social media, your phone, or family to think about how you're REALLY doing each day. That may be 5 or 10 minutes. It's good for your mental and emotional self. *And this is not a feminine practice or responsibility. Men and women need to understand what's going on with them!)

5. Don't try too hard.

(Don't try too hard trying to NOT be like someone else to try to become yourself. That's not authenticity. That's traumatic to yourself! Just take one day at a time as you learn what it means that you are human. ) 

Have a great day! Read more articles at injillswords.com.

How Can I Grow in My Faith?

Consider Hebrews 10:24. “…and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds…”

When you think about your life, what comes to mind? Do you reminisce of memories from the past? Do you light up with excitement about your future?

Whether you reflect on the past to build your life on patterns or look ahead to blaze new trails, you need a plan for the life you want. Having a plan for your life is very helpful. “If you fail to plan, you are planning to fail.”

In the Bible, there is a story where Jesus, meets up with his disciples after spending time away from the daily grind of ministry. The story takes place in the New Testament, in the book of Matthew, chapter 17. As soon as Jesus meets up with his team of disciples, he is presented with a problem. While he was away, a father brought his boy to the disciples because he needed help. But, the disciples weren’t prepared to help him. 

Once Jesus arrived he helped the boy as if he had a backup plan in case the disciples messed it all up. Everyone marveled. The disciples asked an important question. “Why couldn’t we help him?” Jesus replied, “because of the littleness of your faith.”

But, then Jesus talks about having faith as small as a seed.

Why would Jesus tell them to have more faith and then talk about having small faith?!

Here is the connection. Faith is like a seed. It is small. And, in its seed-form, it’s hard to see its power. But, the power of the seed isn’t in its present form. The power of the seed is in its potential. Your faith has power because through faith we can see potential. 

When you have faith like a seed, though you only have a little bit, the potential is great. How do you get from here to there? You need a plan. When Jesus spoke to his disciples about having faith like a seed, he was illustrating a point. The focus in this scripture isn’t how big or small the size of your faith is. Jesus was illustrating the need to tend to our faith the same way that a farmer tends to a seed to realize its potential. 

If you are going to lead people into a growing relationship with Jesus Christ, you are going to need a plan. At Hill City Church, we believe in forming intentional relationships. Living life in a community of like-minded people helps spiritual growth become a reality. We gather in small groups and connect with other people who encourage us to become our best in Christ. In our small groups we pray together, talk with each other, listen to God’s word, and have fun like loving families. Thankfully, God has given us his scripture and a community to help us interpret what we read, which is what actually helps our seed-like faith to grow. Through these relationships we receive God’s help to reach our potential.