Identity

When people get caught doing something they're not suppose to be doing, we often hear the phrase "That's not who I really am!" When Tiger Woods got caught he told the media, "that's not who I really am!" However, I was recently reminded about the identity of our integrity. We are NOT the sum total of our claims but the sum total of our personal decisions. Many people have to wear some sort of mask at work or in public. We say what we're suppose to say or do what we're suppose to do, but who we are is not defined by that person but by the decisions made when the mask is off. Our reputations are defined by how well we wear the mask, but our integrity is defined by the decisions we make when the mask is off. I am who the collection of my decisions reveal me to be. Last week God has reminded me that, "I am not who people see I am who He sees!" Decisions made on principle and not on the possible consequences are decisions that reveal a lot about a person.
Who are you? I asked that question a lot of myself recently and I am reminded how much I rely on my mask to define me. Yet I know that God sees through that and He is not pleased with a great reputation and a weak integrity. I want to encourage you to join me in seeking His face in private, make your home a house of prayer, your thought life a sanctuary of worship, and your private actions a lifestyle of praise.