Life Lessons: Six of Ten – Be Who You Are.

July 2, 2025

After more than 65 years of living, one of my most important life lessons is simply this: Be who you are.

This sounds easy, but it’s often harder than we think.

When Life Demands We Act Against Our Nature

Consider this scenario: You’re someone who prefers quiet evenings at home over travel. Large social gatherings drain you, while one-on-one conversations energize you. You’re naturally contemplative and introspective, preferring to think things through rather than react spontaneously, especially in important situations.

Whether this describes you perfectly or not at all doesn’t matter. Here’s the key point: life doesn’t always allow us to simply “be who we are.”

Life Lessons: Six of Ten – Be Who You Are. #hope #joy #writingcommunity Share on X

My Personal Example

That description fits me perfectly. I’m naturally introverted and thoughtful. So why would it be hard to just be myself? My career provides a clear example.

I naturally gravitated toward engineering because I enjoyed working with numbers and solving problems logically. In the early 1980s, as a young engineer, I loved spending hours calculating stormwater drainage systems—analyzing how long it would take a retention pond to fill and drain. Pure engineering work suited me perfectly.

But as I advanced to team leader, division manager, and eventually deputy city engineer, everything changed. Engineering school never prepared me for managing groups, working with citizens and citizen groups, participating in construction teams, or responding to City Council. When I joined a national stormwater organization, I suddenly had to travel across the country several times a year, speaking to hundreds of people and attending social events.

My career had placed me in situations completely opposite to my natural personality.

This pattern repeated in other areas of life. Writing conferences challenged me in similar ways. Even family and church situations sometimes demanded behaviors that felt unnatural. Work, hobbies, family, church—essentially everywhere I spent my time—occasionally required me to act against my natural tendencies.

The Solution: Understanding Your True Identity

So how do we navigate a world that often demands we act outside our comfort zones?

The answer starts with this question: Who are you, really?

Scripture tells us who we truly are. We are children of God, deeply loved by our Father, chosen and set apart. We are forgiven, saved, and empowered to live for Him. We have a promised place in heaven alongside Jesus, our Redeemer. All of this becomes true when we accept Jesus as Lord and Savior.

“For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” (Ephesians 2:10, ESV)

Paul reminds us that we are God’s workmanship—His masterpiece, His handiwork. God created each of us individually with intention. He desires that we be “in Christ Jesus” so we can accomplish the good works He planned for us.

Here’s the beautiful truth: Your personality—emotional, mental, and spiritual—is exactly who God planned for you to be before you were even born. He knew who you would become. He knew the good works He had prepared for you.

Living Authentically in God’s Plan

Was God surprised by the career path I took? No. Had He prepared me for that path before I was born? Yes. Does He give me everything I need to live the life He planned? Yes.

When we understand exactly who we are in Christ, being ourselves becomes natural. We all face uncomfortable or difficult situations—I’m not minimizing that reality. But knowing who you are in Christ empowers you to be authentically yourself, just as God planned.

The key isn’t avoiding challenging situations but approaching them with the confidence that comes from knowing your true identity as God’s beloved child, equipped for the unique purpose He has for your life. To be who you are.