As we begin our journey through the fall program year I’m struck by the story of Rabbi Zusya. What lies within this story is the portrayal of the poignantly truthful self-examination we all strive for. With the new beginnings all around us this time of year I would like to suggest that we take a moment to reflect and examine who we truly are.

It isn’t until we understand ourselves that we can truly be ourselves. It is possible for us to be who God created us to be when we let go of false expectations of who we “should” be. It is possible for us to be who God created us to be, even if we are less than happy about who we think we have “become”. We become so certain about our lack of accomplishments, our personal feelings of worthlessness, that we don’t see God looking at us with the eyes of love. Sometimes we become so mired in woulda, shoulda, coulda’s that we don’t notice the miracle of God molding us into a new creation. When we release our self-limiting thoughts, when we stop focusing on what we don’t like, we can finally look at the person God is attempting to make of us. When we realize how much we are worth to God, it’s like we are releasing a huge weight from our shoulders.

This fall I encourage you to journey down the path of that process. Just for this season promise to peel off and remove the mountain of unrealistic expectations you put on yourselves. Stop seeing the world through the woulda, coulda, shoulda’s that bind us like chains. It isn’t an easy journey to take. Trust me. But at the end of the year you might examine yourself and find that the true you, the you God sees, has appeared before your eyes.

I hope you find the chains removed so that you may have the experience of a resurrected new life in which you marvel at the beauty and wonder and mystery of creation. When the chains are removed, we discover the freedom to be the child of God that God has been creating all along. We look in the mirror and see the person God sees when looking at us. God doesn’t need another Moses, God doesn’t even need another Mother Theresa. God needs us to be the best us we can be. Because God loves us just the way we are, and God has big plans for us.

Greg+