Uncompromised Man

"But even before I was born, God chose me and called me by His marvelous grace." 

Galatians 1:15 

I have had the pleasure and privilege of knowing a few great men. Maybe not great men by the world's standards of greatness but in my eyes, they were great men. One of these great men was my grandfather, Bob Mosley. He blazed his own trail through life. He was tough when he had to be but he was always fair. A testament to this was when we held his viewing shortly after he passed away. Person after person stood in line to tell us what he had meant to them and their life. But what stood out the most to me was those stories when he could have easily done the easy thing but chose to do the right thing which more often than not, is the hard thing. He always told me to do were to be myself, express who I am, and do what I love to do. These were just a few bits of wisdom he imparted to me when I was slowed down long enough to sit at his feet and listen. 

But that isn't the only keys to success in business, it is also a key to being successful in my relationships. It is far to easy to compromise myself to live up to the expectations of others. Sometimes still trying to overcompensate for things we I might have missed out on as a kid or strategically maneuvering myself professionally. We each have all sorts of ways to adapt ourselves to make relationships work, even the ones that we know at the core aren't healthy. In work, in relationships with others, in any other area of my life that I can think of, it is all too easy to pretend to be something I am not. 

Each and every person on the planet was created for a reason. No matter how bad we messed our lives up or which goals we have missed, there is a future ahead of us. We each have choices about how to handle it. If we look back into our pasts, we might just catch a glimpse of something that we can learn from and apply to our lives now. And when we find that person, the one that is deep down inside, hidden from view, the one that we were ultimately created to be, we are much more likely to make the most of the time we have left on this earth. I can imagine the things my grandfather would go back and change his life if he could have. He didn't get saved until he was 36 years old. I believe he would tell you that he would have made that choice early in life. The man that I grew up idolizing loved the Lord with all his heart. He woke up talking about Jesus and making the most of every single day for the Lord. Some of my fondest memories are sitting at his feet with my grandmother nearby early in the morning, when it was still a little dark outside, doing a devotional and praying for our family. 

We are all created to build relationships with authenticity, basing them on who we really are and not what we think others want us to be. My grandfather didn't base who he was on who others thought he ought to be, he based his worth on what God's word said about it. He didn't rely on superficial things that rust and rot to define the man that he was. He was his own man. 

If you can take only one thing away from this hear me: be yourself. God had a specific purpose in making you the way that He did. When we compromise ourselves, we miss that purpose and weak our ability to live life the way it was intended.