Hebrews 11:6
"And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him."
Psalm 139:1-3
"O LORD, you have searched me and known me! You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from afar. You search out my path and my lying down and are acquainted with all my ways."
There are some ‘benefits’ of growing older:
"Age doesn’t hand you many gifts,
But truth is one it gives to you."
Living to earn the approval and acceptance of others is EXHAUSTING!
When we are young, many of us spend enormous energy trying to gain acceptance. We adjust our words, soften our convictions, and shape our identity around the expectations of others. We become performers before an audience that is constantly changing.
The problem is that living for the approval of others never produces peace. The crowd is impossible to satisfy because the crowd is always changing.
Os Guinness addresses this in Chapter 9 of The Call when he speaks of living for an Audience of One. The Christian life was never intended to be directed by popularity, public opinion, or the approval of others. We are called to live before God.
The ancient phrase for this is ‘Coram Deo’ (literally "Before the face of God") —living one's entire life in the presence of God, under the authority of God, and to the glory of God.
Psalm 139 reminds us that there is nowhere we can go where God is not present. He knows our actions, our words, our motives, and even our thoughts. Before we speak, He knows what we will say. Before we act, He understands our intentions.
This reality is both comforting and challenging - comforting because God sees every unseen act of faithfulness. Every sacrifice, every kindness, every quiet act of obedience is noticed by Him. Hebrews tells us that He rewards those who diligently seek Him. Nothing done for His glory is ever wasted.
But God's presence is also a reminder that there are no hidden places. We may conceal things from others, but we never hide from Christ. Living Coram Deo calls us to integrity—a life in which our private character matches our public profession.
Yet there is another gift hidden within this truth- Living before God's face frees us from living for everyone else's.
Many people spend years trying to become the person others expect them to be. We borrow opinions, adopt roles, wear masks, and sometimes lose sight of who we really are. We become so focused on pleasing people that we forget the One who created us.
The freedom of Coram Deo is not simply that God is watching- but that He is all we need.
When His approval becomes our highest pursuit, we no longer have to chase the approval of the crowd.
The goal is not merely to become "the real me" as our culture often suggests. The goal is to become the person God created and called me to be.
In many ways, maturity is learning that those are not competing ideas.
The closer we draw to Christ, the more we become our true selves. The masks begin to fall away. The pretending loses its appeal. The need to impress others weakens. We discover that our identity was never meant to be built upon the opinions of people but upon the calling of God.
There is a ‘change’ in the linked song today that is a special heart cry for me:
Long enough to be honest,
Long enough to be free…
Long enough to finally meet
The man inside of me.
As we reflect on June R&R (Refreshed/Reflect/Restored/ Renewed- pick one LOL) here is a good meditation:
To live consciously before the face of God, seeking His approval above all others, trusting His presence, and becoming the person He created me to be.
Song Link: Long EnoughTo Be Me
Prayer
Father, help me live today before Your face. Free me from the need to impress others or gain their approval. Teach me to seek Your pleasure above the applause of the crowd. Let me find my identity not in what others think of me, but in who You have called me to be. Help me walk in integrity, faithfulness, and courage, knowing that I live before an Audience of One. In Jesus' name, Amen.
When I was young, I cared too much,
I smiled and lied to please.
But these lines on my face are the proof—
I’ve lived long enough to tell the truth.
Verse 2
I paid the price for borrowed smiles
That never reached my eyes.
Spent years pretending I was someone else,
Till I believed my own disguise.
I bent so far to fit their mold
I nearly broke in two—
You learn the cost of hiding long enough,
And the cost is losing you.
Chorus
These steady eyes are the proof—
I’m tired of who I used to be
No shrinking down to light the room,
No chasing who they said I should be.
My hand is strong, my voice is free—
I’ve lived long enough… to be me.
Verse 3
There was a time the mirror hurt—
A stranger’s stare looked back.
I walked a road of borrowed steps
And felt each promise crack.
But pain can sand a soul to shape
And leave the grain of something true—
Age doesn’t hand you many gifts,
But truth is one it gives to you.
Chorus
These steady eyes are the proof—
I’m tired of who I used to be
No shrinking down to light the room,
No chasing who they said I should be.
My hand is strong, my voice is free—
I’ve lived long enough… to be me.
Outro
Long enough to be honest,
Long enough to be free…
Long enough to finally meet
The man inside of me.
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