Are the "visible" you and the "real" you consistent?

When Sarah and I planned our accountability time back at the beginning of the year, this seemed like such an important question. Lately, however, we've had to ask ourselves what we're trying to accomplish by asking it. What does it even mean? We seem to interpret it differently each week.

Based on our reading this week (Captivating, Chapter 10 - "Mothers, Daughters, Sisters) I would see this question as "Are you living life from the heart?" According to the chapter, Proverbs 22:6 is frequently misinterpreted. "Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not part from it." We've all heard it...I can't count the number of times I've heard lessons on this verse pertaining to children needing to be taught the Bible so they'll follow it as adults. Staci puts it this way: "The proverb is about raising a child to know who he is and to guide him in becoming ever more himself....It speaks of teaching a child to live from his heart, attuned to it, awake to it, aware of it, and when that child is grown he will continue to live a life from the heart. It is about seeing who a person really is and calling him out to be that person." [emphasis added] Wow! What do I do with that?

Several times, Sarah and I have had conversations about people trying to “find themselves”. What does that even mean? Yet at the same time, it encompasses where I feel I am right now. Who am I? How do I define myself? (NOTE: I did not say how do people define me.) I know the basics. I believe that I am here to praise and serve God and further His kingdom. But knowing it and owning it are different. How do I own that? Do people look at me and see that’s who I am?

This really is on topic….promise. :) Do I live a life that shows that in my heart I believe that I am here to love God, love others and further His kingdom? Maybe this is the meaning of our question for this week.

What do you think? Are the “real” you and the “visible” you consistent? Do you even know what they look like? What does this question mean to you?