When We Fake It We Look Goofy – Even Freakish
My grandma from Paris, Texas was full of colorful expressions. She didn’t so much speak English – she communicated in one metaphor after another. One of my favorites was:
“He was a lot like a cat standing on its hind legs – not natural in the least, but quite entertaining while it lasted…”
Nana instilled in me a respect for authenticity and skepticism for the fake.
There is a bit of fake in you, me, all of us (fake = aspiring to define ourselves by something / someone we are not). (Thus far, all the people I have met on the planet are of those offspring – if you meet someone beyond that please call me at once – I’ll figure out a way to get there immediately … I really need to interview them.)
To be a ‘cat standing on its hind legs’ is a site to imagine.
Mainly she told me this ditty was in reference to people trying to behave properly when they were not wired that way deep down. That is, one way inside, but trying to behave the opposite on the outside. Life just doesn’t swing that way – at least not for long, for any of us.
The prayer of former walking cats:
“Here I am God. Love through me – the real me. Ignite me – the real me. Invite many through me – the real me. Thank you for your invitation to me that I am – as I am!”
Let the filters fall.
Let all in me be ignited by the flame of God.
I agree with you God – You can move through me and that provides life.
Notice what is going on through me … I cease hesitating, I engage with you – let the world change.
Yes Gerald, it really is that untangled … thank you for asking!
About the author
Steve Sjogren
Steve Sjogren is widely regarded as the father of servant evangelism — the idea that small acts of kindness, done consistently and without strings attached, can change a church, a community, and eventually the world. He is the founding pastor of Vineyard Community Church in Cincinnati, Ohio, which he and his wife Janie launched with a group of five people — eventually growing to over 7,000 weekly attenders across seven weekend services.
His first book, Conspiracy of Kindness, has sold over 300,000 copies and has been translated into several languages. Today he writes, speaks, and mentors church planters around the world.
