Mystique

"The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart." 1 Samuel 16:7

Our lives today are so disparate. We have families. Work colleagues. Old school friends. Church friends. Those we meet in the school playground when we drop of our kids. We have those we know from the gym or the club or the pub.

And to each of those groups we may present ourselves a different person. One that is clever or funny or holy. Often our work colleagues would not recognise the person we are at home and that person isn't half as good or holy as the person we are on a sunday.

A different person for a different place.

Mystique is a villain from the X-Men series. She is a 'shape shifter'; she can change her form to appear like anyone else. She is an expert at covert work and being a double or even a triple agent. But no-one knows the real Mystique; Raven Darkhölme. Not even her children - with whom she has troubled relationships to say the least.

God describes himself to Moses as "I AM". God always is who God always is. It is impossible for Him to be inconsistent or self-contradictory. He is not a capricious God.

Part of becoming more like Him is to become more consistent. More reliable. More dependable. It is one of the reasons Jesus implores His disciples to "Let what you say be simply 'Yes' or 'No'" in Matthew 5. The world can only work on the basis of trust. If we do not trust each other we cannot function. If we are untrustworthy then we will find it hard, or even impossible, to build anything substantial. A man's word is still his bond - even if our society seeks to replace such things with legally binding contracts.

Will I be a shape shifter; changing who I am to meet my needs and get my own way?

Or will I be a rock; consistent, reliable and authentic?

"But above all, my brothers, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or by any other oath, but let your "yes" be yes and your "no" be no, so that you may not fall under condemnation." James 5:12

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