AUTHENTICITY

As a child I did not mind playing alone. I would simply dream-up elaborate scenarios filled with interesting things to do and I, of course, was the central figure in these imagined adventures. Pretending is an essential pathway to learning and development for children, but it is a passageway to self-deception for adults. Imagination and creativity have lifelong value but to masquerade as something we are not is falsehood, and can lead to many serious problems. Scripture states: “When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things.” As I have matured, seamlessness between who I want to be and who I actually am has become more crucial. Heavenly Father, may Your maturing work in me produce increasing authenticity. Help me not gloss over weaknesses and deliver me from cover-ups.