There’s Peace In Authentic Living

There’s just something about someone who is authentic.

authentic :: not false or copied; genuine; real 

Someone who can be herself, and who is comfortable “in her own skin.”

Someone who can laugh at himself.

Someone who isn’t afraid to share personal failures and faults.

Someone who can let his guard down.

Someone who can learn from her mistakes, and help others learn from them too.

I am drawn to authentic people.

I’d rather hang out with someone who doesn’t quite have it all together and admits it, than to hang out with someone who looks and acts “perfect.”

And I guess this is the case because for so much of my life, I lived trying to be someone I wasn’t.

I was one continual comparison-maker whose competitive spirit would often get the best of me. I either wanted what others had, or I would do what I could to out-do him or her.

It was ridiculous, and I was miserable. But no one was the wiser. I hid my miserable pretty well.

Lisa Murray’s book, Peace For A Lifetime, would have been tremendously helpful back then. As I read the pages of this book today, I see my counterfeit self through many of her words. In black and white I’m witnessing just how miserable those years of my life were. Lisa shares hope for those of us who have ever struggled with authentic living. But her book is more than that. It’s for any of us who desire to find peace in our lives.

“To stop running and finally accept reality is freeing. To recognize and identify the damage that exists in my interior self is freeing. Simply to breathe, and know that I don’t have to keep up the charade any longer, is freeing. I have a Heavenly Father, who will walk with me and work with me while I slowly, deliberately find and rebuild the foundation of my true self.” -Lisa Murray, Peace For A Lifetime (pg. 115)

Amen, and amen!

Back then I didn’t have Lisa’s book to equip and encourage me, but the day God used my friend to speak to me about living authentically, my life began to change. For the first time (I think) ever, I let go of the fake life I was living and embraced authenticity.

And when I did, I didn’t expect what followed… A peace filled me that I had never experienced before.

Authentic living invites a peaceful life.

Maybe that’s the reason I’m so drawn to authentic people. They live a life of peace within which spills out in every area of their lives.

Lisa knows that well. She shares her transparency through her words, as she reveals experiences of life she’s walked through. She gives us beautiful examples of her own which can help us find our own true and lasting peace for a lifetime.

I invite you to pick up a copy of Peace For A Lifetime today. I believe you’ll be blessed in the most glorious ways as you read Lisa’s words and apply them to your life.

As we each embrace authentic living, may we rejoice in who God created us to be, and honor Him in this new way of life.

May the Lord himself, who is our source of peace, give you peace at all times and in every way. The Lord be with you all. 2 Thessalonians 3:16

Blessings!

Julie