The Genuine Attitude
Have you ever stood inches from a wild tiger or massive grizzly?
I have and I wasn’t afraid in the least!
Why?
Well thick zoo glass might have had a little something to do with my attitude. 😊
Because I felt totally safe behind the glass, the growl of the Tiger and roar of a bear didn’t phase me. Their dagger teeth and powerful jaws didn’t make me cringe.
That glass made all the difference in the world between me being able to remain unaffected and who I was vs a petrified person saying their last prayers before becoming shredded Erin for lunch.
That, I discovered, is how it is to genuinely relate with Dis-ingenuine people. It is possible to remain unaffected by their threatening presence and swiping claws.
As a believer, the Holy Spirit indwells me. My life is cloaked in the righteous robes of Jesus. I am held in God’s hands. I have 360-degree protection that allows me to live life in an authentic and transparent way.
As a ‘used to be’ people pleaser, I am no longer intimidated when a dis-ingenuine person charges, nor feel the need to lash out when someone swipes at me with ugly words, because ultimately, I know they will not be able to penetrate the shield of Faith between me and them.
Knowing from experience that I am safe in God’s love; I feel the freedom to engage with people I wouldn’t be able to otherwise. I have faith that their opinions (think the growls of a lion) won’t change how God sees me or what He thinks about me.
There moments I have my guard down but those times are becoming more rare the more I practice the genuine attitude.
I encourage you to take stalk of the relationships in your life and notice which ones really require a concentration of authenticity (not the ones where you know you are safe to be you) and then practice remaining genuine in who you are even when the other person isn’t.
To be clear, I am NOT suggesting you search out dis-ingenuine people to practice on, but I am recommending you take every opportunity to practice the genuine attitude (I promise there will be plenty of opportunities without you even looking because they always seem to know how to find you 😉 )
The only way I have found to get my mind to believe a new narrative is to live it out again and again, until the truth of who I am becomes a habit of thinking and way of living.
Happy practicing! 😊
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