Ever feel like a phony?
A Fake
Ever feel like you don’t measure up to the “true professionals,” as if you lack the training, gifts, and authenticity that your peers possess? Though you may feel like a child among giants, the reality is that others are just as frail and as human as you. If you could peer into their hearts, you’d find that they struggle with the same feelings of inadequacy that you do.
Fake Callings
Neil Symmons, from Devon, England, made this discovery—in a different kind of way. Neil Symmons was a bird lover. Night after night he stood in his backyard and made bird calls, hoping a feathered friend would someday reply. One night he got his wish. Out of the darkness came the hoot of an owl. Neil was thrilled. It happened the next night also, and the next. It became his evening routine. Neil Symmons would call out with a “hoot” and the owl would respond. He recorded these nightly conversations with the owl in his journal.
Then he began to wonder. “What if this owl is looking for a mate? I’m raising its hopes. He’s in for a big disappointment when he finds out I’m just a pretender.”
But it was Symmons who would be disappointed. Before long, Mrs. Symmons was visiting her neighbor, Wendy Cornes, when a discussion came up about their husbands’ hobbies. Mrs. Cornes explained, “My husband spends his evenings in our garden, calling out to owls.” “That’s funny,” said Mrs. Symmons, “my husband does the very same thing.” Then it dawned on them. Their husbands were only calling out to each other. The creature at the other side of that “hoot in the darkness” was just as human and just as much a pretender as he was.
Authentic
Learn to rest in the fact that God is your Creator. You are the person of God’s dreams and God’s design. That alone is all the validity you need. You are every bit as authentic and valuable as those you seek to measure up to. And they are just as frail as you. So be the person God created you to be. That is all that matters. In Psalm 139:14, King David wrote, “I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made.” That’s a healthy attitude toward oneself and God to have.
PRAYER:
Dear Father in heaven, You are the source of my value and validity. I am Your handiwork and Your divine imprint is what makes me special. Help me to understand and appreciate my status as Your child—and to live up to it. Amen.
