Living Free as Your Truest Self
Every person wears masks. Some are obvious, like costumes and roles. Others are subtle, like the way we hide behind success, status, or the pressure to look like we have it all together. What we long for, though, is to live unmasked. To have the life we live in private match the life we display in public, and for both to align with faith in Jesus.
John 1:19–51 introduces us to five men. John the Baptist had already been transformed by Jesus, while four others were just beginning their journey. Together their stories show that living as your truest self requires humility, a life that points to Jesus, and a willingness to follow Him wherever He leads.
Humility That Marks Us
When religious leaders questioned John the Baptist, he could have claimed a title for himself. Instead, he said plainly, “I am not the Christ… I am not Elijah… I am not the Prophet.” He was simply a voice preparing the way for Jesus.
This humility was not insecurity but clarity. John knew who he was in relationship to Jesus. He said, “He must increase, but I must decrease” (John 3:30). He even compared himself to a servant untying sandals—the lowest of the low—because he saw Jesus’ greatness that clearly.
True humility is not thinking less of ourselves. It is not thinking of ourselves at all. And when Jesus is at the center, humility becomes possible.
Humility shows up in practical ways: living with contentment rather than constant complaint, using influence to help rather than belittle, practicing generosity instead of greed, and choosing a biblical vision of intimacy over the world’s distortions. These habits stand out because they reflect a life shaped by Jesus.
Pointing That Defines Us
John the Baptist’s entire life was an arrow pointing to Christ. When he saw Jesus, he declared, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!”
This title draws on centuries of Scripture. For generations, Israel sacrificed spotless lambs as substitutes for their sin. Those sacrifices could never truly remove guilt, but they pointed forward to a better substitute. Jesus became that Lamb, dying on the cross to remove sin once and for all.
Living as our truest selves means embracing the same role John had: pointing others to Jesus. It does not require all the answers. It requires testimony. If Jesus has worked in your life, you have everything you need to point others toward Him.
Following That Shapes Us
When Jesus called His first disciples, the invitation was simple: “Follow me.” Andrew, Peter, Philip, and Nathanael had no resume of faith yet. They had not proven themselves. Jesus met them with grace first, then called them into a new life.
That same call still stands. To follow Jesus is to be fully known and fully loved. It is to leave behind shadows that cannot satisfy—money, power, approval—and to walk with the One who brings real life.
Following Him shapes everything. It reshapes our vision, just as it did for Peter. The man who once hid behind bravado eventually became a leader of the church, not because he was flawless, but because he learned what life looks like when it is surrendered to Christ.
The Gift of Your Truest Self
Living as your truest self is not about self-expression or self-invention. It is about knowing Jesus and being known by Him. Humility marks that life. Pointing to Him defines it. Following Him shapes it.
Take off the masks. Lay down the false sources of life. Freedom is found in this simple truth: I am not, but I know Jesus is. That is enough to live unmasked, lighter, freer, and fully alive.