Get Real: Stop Hiding Behind the Mask
5/5
()
About this ebook
Jamy Whitaker
Jamy Whitaker graduated with a degree in English from Indiana State University. She lives in Indiana, in a picturesque, rural setting, lovingly referred to as Whit-Akers, with her husband and five children. Visit www.jamywhitaker.org to learn more about Jamy, her writing and speaking.
Related to Get Real
Related ebooks
Spiritual Efficiency And The Expansion Of The Will Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Paradigm Shift Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsTransformed from My Image to His Image Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsBalancing Change and Tradition in Global Education Reform Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Messy Faith: Daring to Live by Grace Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Faith Is Not An Excuse For Laziness Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLife as It Should Be Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsFormation for Transformation: An Approach to Renewing the Teaching Ministry within the Church Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsIf God Is Love, Why Do I Feel so Bad?: Considering Our Images of God Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsAn African Girl Living with Depression Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsShaping the Future of Child and Adolescent Mental Health: Towards Technological Advances and Service Innovations Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsResearch on Exemplary Schools Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsHEALING FROM HAZARDOUS PARENTING: How to Fix Yourself When You Can’t Fix Your Kid Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsFinding Peace After Heartbreak A Journey Toward Healing and Self-Discovery Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsRebellion Against God: Have It Our Way Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Origin of Sin: Sin's effect on humanity Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsOvercoming Abuse: My Body Belongs to God and Me: A Child’s Body Safety Guide Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsHow to Grow Your Heart’S Garden for God Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsHoly Conversation: Spirituality For Worship Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsImage, Incarnation, and Christian Expansivism: A Meta-Philosophy of Salvation Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Rainbow and the Spirit: Spiritual Experiences of Some Same-Sex Oriented Christians Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Prisoner's Wisdom: Transcending the Ego Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsOntological Ideas About the Holy Spirit in the Early Church Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsFreedom of the Self: Kenosis, Cultural Identity, and Mission at the Crossroads Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Personal Approach to Worship and Faith in God Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsEvil Isn't New Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5What Is Sin Really? Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Preacher’s Guide to Suicide: A Homiletical Theology of Death Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Little Book of Personal Development: Second Edition Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Inspirational For You
Be Here Now Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5That Bird Has My Wings: An Oprah's Book Club Pick Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Feeding the Soul (Because It's My Business): Finding Our Way to Joy, Love, and Freedom Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Confessions of St. Augustine: Modern English Version Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Calendar of Wisdom: Daily Thoughts to Nourish the Soul, Written and Se Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Jesus Calling, 365 Devotions with Real-Life Stories, with Full Scriptures Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Conversations With God, Book 3: Embracing the Love of the Universe Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Bonhoeffer Abridged: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Celebration of Discipline, Special Anniversary Edition Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5One Day My Soul Just Opened Up: 40 Days And 40 Nights Toward Spiritual Strength And Personal Growth Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Creative Cure: How Finding and Freeing Your Inner Artist Can Heal Your Life Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Red Sea Rules: 10 God-Given Strategies for Difficult Times Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Searching for Enough: The High-Wire Walk Between Doubt and Faith Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Eternal Echoes: Celtic Reflections on Our Yearning to Belong Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The 50 Fridays Marriage Challenge: One Question a Week. One Incredible Marriage. Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Forgive for Good: A Proven Prescription for Health and Happiness Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/564 Lessons for a Life Without Limits Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Finding Chika: A Little Girl, an Earthquake, and the Making of a Family Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Finding God in Anime: A Devotional for Otakus: Finding God in Anime, #1 Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Rumi: The Big Red Book: The Great Masterpiece Celebrating Mystical Love and Friendship Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The 4:8 Principle: The Secret to a Joy-Filled Life Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Rumi's Little Book of the Heart Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Way of the Shaman Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Rumi's Little Book of Wisdom Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Spiritual Formation: Following the Movements of the Spirit Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Knowledge of the Holy: The Attributes of God Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Learning to Walk in the Dark Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5God Talks With Arjuna: The Bhagavad Gita Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Out of Sorts: Making Peace with an Evolving Faith Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Anam Cara [Twenty-fifth Anniversary Edition]: A Book of Celtic Wisdom Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Reviews for Get Real
1 rating0 reviews
Book preview
Get Real - Jamy Whitaker
Copyright © 2012 Jamy Whitaker
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright 1979, 1980, 1982 by Thomas Nelson, inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 Biblica. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations in this publications are from The Message. Copyright (c) by Eugene H. Peterson 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group.
Scripture taken from the Amplified Bible, Copyright © 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.
WestBow Press books may be ordered through booksellers or by contacting:
WestBow Press
A Division of Thomas Nelson
1663 Liberty Drive
Bloomington, IN 47403
www.westbowpress.com
1-(866) 928-1240
Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.
Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.
Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.
ISBN: 978-1-4497-6404-3 (sc)
ISBN: 978-1-4497-6405-0 (e)
Library of Congress Control Number: 2012915173
Printed in the United States of America
WestBow Press rev. date: 8/22/2012
Contents
Acknowledgements
Introduction
Part I: Identity
Chapter 1. Who Are You? Discovering Your True Identity
Chapter 2. What’s In A Name?
Chapter 3. Loving Your Frame
Chapter 4. Do-Over
Part II: Insecurities
Chapter 5. Masks
Chapter 6. Stepping Out
Chapter 7. Are You A Risk Taker?
Chapter 8. Are You Willing To Be Stretched?
Part III: Perspective
Chapter 9. Living With Eternal Perspective
Chapter 10. Are You Easily Distracted?
Chapter 11. The Best Of Me
Chapter 12. Get Moving
Bible Study Questions
Notes
Acknowledgements
To Mitch, my husband and best friend: Thank you for standing by my side during the ups and downs, tears and triumphs of this book. You are such a blessing to our children and me. I thank God everyday for bringing you into my life. I look forward to the journey that God has for us in the future.
To Taylor, Devin, Ethan, Quintin and Madilynn: Thank you for the encouraging words, extra hugs and kisses. I pray that you let the real you, your identity in Christ, shine a light to those around you.
Introduction
Who are you? This is not necessarily the same person that everyone else sees everyday. I am talking about the real you. The one you are when no one is watching, and your mask is put away. What are we afraid of? What are we really trying to hide? We portray these perfect
lives to those around us, but that is not what is real. None of us will have it all together this side of heaven. As Christians, we are really doing more harm than good when we present this façade. The body of Christ, the church, is not able to lift one another up and help because we are not aware that there is even a need. Also, hiding behind a mask hurts our witness to unbelievers. They feel as if they need to have it all together in order to be saved, so they give up before they even know the truth. We need to stop pretending and simply get real.
Get Real examines just that, how to take off the mask and be who God has created you to be without fear. Get Real is divided into three different parts: identity, insecurities and perspective. This book is going to take a look at several different areas and how we try to hide behind a mask and the steps we can take to try and turn it around. In addition to the individual chapters, there are also discussion questions at the back of the book. These questions can be done individually or in a group setting. The purpose of them is simply to get you to dig deeper and discover whom you really are and why it is best to take the mask off. This journey will not be easy, but I promise it will be rewarding. People long to know the real you, and it will give them the courage to lay their mask aside as well. God wants us to be authentic with ourselves, others and, most of all, Him.
Get Real is so near and dear to my heart because for several years, as an adult, I could not answer the question, who are you?
. I had lived several years of my life trying to please others and mold myself into who I thought they wanted me to be that I simply lost sight of the real me. It was quite a journey trying to tear down the façade that had been built brick-by-brick over time. I needed to get back to the basics and rediscover my true identity. Get Real is for all those, like me, who need to discover or rediscover the real person behind the mask and who need not be afraid to show their true selves to the world around them. Our true self is how God created and intended for us to live.
I am praying for each and everyone who reads this book. Being real with people is something that I too have struggled with from time to time. I know that it will not be easy, but God promises to walk with us every step of the way and to help us along this journey.
Part I: Identity
black.jpgChapter One
black.jpgWho Are You?
Discovering Your True Identity
During the Christmas season, it is especially easy to get wrapped up in buying and receiving gifts. We fall victim to societal pressure to believe that these things will make our lives better if we have them. When we give into this notion, we are letting society construct our identity. The real question we need to ask ourselves is where does our identity come from?
Another way to put this is: What types of things define a person? Say, for example, you were to introduce yourself to someone you do not know: How would you define yourself? Would you define yourself by your family relationships (i.e. wife, mother, daughter), by a professional title, or lack of one, or by where you live or go to church? People generally define themselves by age, intelligence, education, marital status, material things, and family. For example, I would define myself as the wife of Mitch; a stay-at-home mother of six wonderful children, one in heaven; fellow church planter; and the daughter of Chuck and Kay Taylor, just to name a few. Circumstances or the trials of life can also define a person.
Satan, the Enemy, knows exactly how and where to attack each one of us. He knows where we are vulnerable. Even back in the garden of Eden, he used lies and doubt to tempt Eve to eat the forbidden fruit. And he is still using the same tactics today. As Christians, we need to learn to recognize the lies and replace them with God’s truth. Satan wants us to focus on our flaws and feelings of inadequacy, and then exhaust ourselves trying to hide them. God, on the other hand, wants us to focus on His acceptance, security and significance and thank Him for His promises that remind us of who we are in Him. I love this quote by Kay Arthur, Your worth and purpose do not depend on where you have been… Your worth and purpose depend upon God and God alone.
¹ We need to remember that God is well pleased with us before we do anything simply because we are His children. Keep this in mind: Identity comes before activity. We must start to see ourselves as God sees us.
We need to keep in mind that God was there from the very beginning. He spoke each one of us into our mother’s womb, For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb
(Psalm 139:13 NIV), at just the right time to be here now. It was not by accident, nor was it a surprise to God. He designed each of us on purpose to be on a mission with Him for such a time as this. Our faith will grow stronger as we focus on our identity in Christ. Putting it simply, we need to get rid of any image of ourselves that is not from God. We have to stop believing what others have said or how we have been labeled in the past, and stop accepting how others define us.
This is a concept that I have struggled with for some time. Honestly, it is so much easier for me to believe the negative than the postive about myself. My insecurities about myself and falling victim to the lies started back in the first grade. My teacher had everyone pick parts for a play from a hat. I selected the part of the rabbit. She said that since I had gotten that particular part, it would have to be the fat rabbit. Keep in mind that I was not as skinny as a rail or a little waif. However, I certainly was not fat. But my teacher’s comment stuck with me. Throughout school, I became more swayed by what others thought about me. Before long, I could not even begin to answer the question, Who am I? Because I had no