Why do I feel like I'm pretending to be me?

Maybe you walked into a room today and felt it, that quiet shift where you adjusted your face, your voice, something. Maybe you have been doing that so long you are not sure which version of you is real anymore. It is an exhausting way to live. And God speaks directly into that exhaustion.

"For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God."

- Colossians 3:3 (KJV)

At some point today, maybe on your lunch break or before you sleep tonight, sit quietly for two minutes and ask yourself one honest question: who was I performing for today? Not to feel bad about it. Just to notice. That small moment of honesty is where something starts to change.

What would it feel like to move through one hour of your day without adjusting yourself for anyone's reaction?

God, I am tired of performing. Remind me today that who I am is already safe in You, and I do not have to earn my place in any room. Amen.