“My sheep hear my voice; I know them, and they follow me.” ~ Jn 10:27

Today, I’m also using the gospel because it aligns with some of the things I discussed in yesterday’s reflection. It’s the Gospel of John chapter 10, verses 22 to 30. It starts with some of the disciples reprimanding Jesus for leaving them in the dark as to whether he was the Christ or not.

It’s Jesus’s reply that reminded me of things that I’ve noticed in my life, lately. Here’s the reply from verses 25 through 27: “Jesus replied: I have told you, but you do not believe. The works I do in my Father’s name are my witness; but you do not believe, because you are no sheep of mine. The sheep that belong to me listen to my voice; I know them and they follow me.”

Now, placing yourself in the role of Jesus in this instance, not as a replacement but, considering the possibility you are saying similar things to someone that continues to nag you with:

What are you talking about?
What’s your message?
What do you stand for?

You keep trying to explain things, but they don’t get it. They simply don’t get it.

What came to me as I read this passage was noticing how the more honest, the more transparent I am with what I want to say, with what I want to do, and the things that I want to be involved with, the more I find people that resonate with it, gain insight from what I’m saying or doing, and find a way to appreciate what’s happening. At the same time, I push away people that are not supposed to be around me.

This is where I connected with this idea of “the sheep that belong to me listen to my voice, I know them and they follow me.”

If you are hanging out with people that don’t seem to get it, don’t seem to get you, and don’t create a space for you to be you 100%, then consider the possibility you are not being honest with yourself. Consider you’re trying to fit somewhere that you’re not supposed to be. Consider you’re trying to convince and persuade people that you are right and they’re wrong, and you are trying to find some validation.

Maybe, you are compromising on the things you want to say, your beliefs, and things you love to do because you feel that if you are 100%, you are going push everybody away.

But, what became clear to me is: If I’m compromising and these people are liking and accepting are they really accepting me? I’m not being fully myself when I’m with them. Hence, they’re accepting a lower version of who I am. They’re accepting some filtered notion of what I want to say.

To me, the message is straightforward. If I’m gonna do this, I’m going to have to do it 100%. I’m not gonna find my biggest impact and my path to significance by compromising on things just because I want to fit in.

The only way I can do my greatest impact is to choose to be myself. To bet on me to do what I know in my heart, spirit, and soul that I’m supposed to be doing.

Until you and I choose to do that, we are going to run into situations where there’s a mixed bag of things where some days we feel we are all there, and some days we have to hold back because people can’t handle it. Ultimately, you and I have a decision to make about choosing to be ourselves fully regardless of the consequences.

I’m willing to bet that the moment we choose to be ourselves fully, we’ll start meeting the people we were always meant to find. If we lose friends, so be it. They weren’t supposed to be there in the first place.

We are supposed to be speaking to someone specific. We are supposed to be doing something very specific for a specific group of people, and not spend a lot of time second-guessing.

I second-guess myself all the time. But every single day I have to choose to be honest, to be transparent, and to be myself. Because, at the end of the day, I have a purpose. And it’s not supposed to tackle everybody. It’s supposed to speak to a very select few.

From there, if we all do our part, I think big changes happen.

In peace,

~Juan