I’m looking at both of you.

YOU, and Eunice.

YOU is the person God created you to be.

Eunice (You-ness) is who you actually are.

YOU is the ideal.  Your Skills, potential, discipleship, idiosyncrasies, you name it, all in perfect working order.

But most people that meet you meet Eunice.   That’s the day-to-day version of yourself, far from ideal.  Your you-ness.

Eunice is the not-quite-up-to-your-potential part.   The doing-the-best-you-can part.

Most days Eunice is a solid 83% of what YOU were created to be.

On a rare day, when thriving and fulfilled, Eunice may come across as  a whopping 93% of YOU!

And occasionally, Eunice bottoms out at a terrible 41% that you wish you could forget about.

Make sense?

YOU is the goal.   Eunice, your You-ness, is the reality.

Now…

Remember in the Sermon on the Mount when Jesus talks about Salt and Light?  (Matthew 5:13-16)

Jesus is encouraging you to strive for the YOU you were created to be.

Not settle for some lesser version of Eunice.

Salt is made to be salty!  Light is made to shine brightly!  Anything less than that isn’t living up to what these things were created to be.

YOU were made to be salty and bright, so to speak.

YOU have the ability to add flavor to Life — to help others taste the goodness of the Kingdom.

And  YOU were created as a bright and shining reflection of the God who made YOU.

So when people see YOU, they catch a glimpse of Almighty God.

But, when you settle for a life of run-of-the-mill Eunice, chances are you’ll have a run-of-the-mill-faith lacking flavor and sparkle.

You will never completely leave your Eunice behind, as you strive for YOU, but Jesus wants us to be salty and bright and that requires the deliberate work of discipleship.

To bridge the gap between how you were created and how you tend to live will require hard work and faithfulness.

But I guarantee,

If you can make something of Eunice,

You’ll be Gladys.

Have a great week,

Mitch

image from www.christianfocus.com