The title of today’s entry says it all. Let me open this up a bit though for your edification.

This is a very simple idea - one that I suspect nearly all who read this piece automatically already conclude, “Oh yeah - that’s one I already have down cold…”

I say, “Not so fast hombre.”

As I alluded to earlier this week, I am a big believer in reading both large amounts of scripture each day, but then pondering / meditating on just a verse or two at the most a day in my journalings. (If you haven’t switched to journaling software, please try it for a while to see how it works for you - MacJournal or WinJournal are the best of each operating system… they each allow you to try them for a week or so before plunking down your money.)

The more I have read and re-read Proverbs the more I have slowly picked up on the central message of that book. Sometimes the central message of a lengthy book like Proverbs isn’t contained in a given verse but is better paraphrased. My best attempt at capturing this book of wisdom is: “The ultimate expression of real wisdom is self-awareness…knowing where you shine, where you are called, and conversely, where you are not.” There are hundreds of shreds of that idea scattered throughout Proverbs. If you ponder that brief condensing for a bit you will likely pick up on it…

Do:
Be yourself all the time.

Value in all around you authenticity. If you are the primary leader your value system will spill over onto others nearby.

Stop:
Pretending to be / do what you are not.

Imitating someone you are not…after you have found your life message. (It is perfectly fine to imitate away until you have found your life message though. Think of this as training wheels on your communication bicycle. In the biographies of all great communicators in Church history that I have read - IE many - they all cop to the fact that they imitated their way into communication effectiveness.)

Communicating is a gift, but it is a learned art as well. Skills are to a degree learned.

All mask wearing. This is not only the most wearying thing a person can possibly do, it is also a slap in God’s face - stating he has created something in you that is inferior. He will bless you when you are you.