There are two yous—the visible you and the real you. The visible you is the you than is known by others. It is never the real you. We have learned to speak and act in ways that allow us to cope and coexist. We work hard to project a certain image of ourselves to others. The real you is the you that is known by God. Scripture tells us, “The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?” (Jeremiah 17:9). To protect our self-image, we kid, trick, and fool ourselves into believing the visible you is somehow real. We can see ourselves as we really are, but we must acknowledge our inability to do so without God’s help.

Until every church disciples every man…

Pat

(Adapted from 25th Anniv. Ed. of The Man in the Mirror)