Freedom from Fake Living
Ephesians 2:10 — For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things He planned for us long ago.
The burnt Pop-Tart should have annoyed me.
Normally, it would’ve.
But that morning, I didn’t care enough to notice. It was the least of my worries.
Seventh grade had been a rough year. So this plate that should have been bursting with flavor actually reminded me that I hadn’t smiled in a long time.
That year, I joined the football team, went to dances, and got a new phone. But something had changed in me.
I remember rehearsing conversations in the shower and anxiously imagining scenarios that hadn’t even happened. I wasn’t playing sports because I loved them. I wanted people to like me.
I wasn’t being myself.
I was trying to be someone else.
That was the first time I didn’t want to be me.
I had always been a happy-go-lucky, nerdy kid, but suddenly that didn’t feel good enough. The harder I tried to become someone else, the more frustrated and disappointed I became.
I could never measure up to the person I thought I needed to be.
What changed everything was Jesus.
He didn’t offer me a better mask or a few motivational phrases.
He gave me life.
Over time, He showed me that trying to become someone God never created me to be will always leave me exhausted, disappointed, and lost.
Long before I was chasing someone else’s approval, God had already created me with purpose. Scripture says we are God’s masterpiece, created anew in Christ to do the good things He planned for us.
I didn’t have to earn an identity.
I only had to receive it.
Jesus gave me a joy that brought out the real me—the goofy, nerdy person He made.
And that’s what I love about this verse. God doesn’t just call us His masterpiece; He gives our lives purpose. He created us intentionally, and He has good things for us to do.
Following Christ frees us from the pressure of performance.
Performance says, “Become enough.”
Grace says, “Become who I’ve made you to be.”
The simple truth is, God made you on purpose. There is no substitute for who He created you to be.
If you’ve been striving to become someone else, maybe it’s time to stop performing and start trusting the One who knew who you were before you ever wondered if you were enough.
You don’t have to become somebody else to be valuable.
You don’t have to perform to be loved.
You can simply become who God created you to be—and then let Him use your life for the good things He planned long ago.
There is no need to fake what’s real.
Follow Jesus.
A MOMENT TO REFLECT
- When have you felt pressure to become someone you’re not?
- What does it mean to you that God calls you His “masterpiece”?
- Whose approval are you most tempted to seek?
- What part of yourself have you been tempted to hide or change?
- What good thing might God be inviting you to do with the person He created you to be?
