Focus—choosing Our Identity In Christ Instead Of Our Personality - The Gentleness Challenge: a 7-Day devotional

“It is for freedom that Christ has set us free.” (Galatians 5:1, NIV)

“You do you.”

That is a phrase that really rankles me. I get the “be unique” or “don’t follow the crowd” connotation. But too often, it’s used as a carte blanche for refusing to grow as humans. As Christians.

I don’t ultimately want to “do” me. I want to “be” Christlike, however that looks like within my unique personality, strengths, and weaknesses. It’s time to stop telling ourselves that “this is just who I am.”

I’m a:

• yeller
• short fuse
• redhead
• carbon copy of my mom
• straight shooter
• deep feeler

“It is for freedom that Christ has set us free” (Galatians 5:1 NIV), not for trite slogans about individuality and self-empowerment. What if we had way less of “you do you” (which has disturbing echoes of the Old Testament refrain of everyone doing what was right in his own eyes) and a whole heaping lot more of “He must increase, but I must decrease?” (John 3:30).

I just know it would transform the way we think, act, and, yes, speak.

ACTION STEPS:

• As you begin your day, ask God to work His will in you regardless of your mood, your personality, or how much sleep you (didn’t) get last night.
• Write down a description of your personality and then two ways you have seen the Lord both use your natural bents and grow you in them.
• Send an encouraging text to your accountability partner(s) letting them know what you appreciate about how God has uniquely made them and exhorting them to keep doing His will.