A lawyer, fresh out of law school and just having passed the bar exam, entered his new office for the first time and waited for the business to come in. Soon he saw a prospective client approaching. He thought it would look better if he appeared to be busy, so he picked up his phone and began talking as though someone was on the other end of the line. "Look, Joe, about that amalgamation deal, I think it would be better if I came down to the factory and handled it personally. Sure. No, I don't think three million will swing the deal. We better have Smith from Washington meet with us. Okay. I'll call you back later." Placing the phone back on the cradle, he addressed the man saying, "Good morning, sir. How can I help you?" The prospective client replied, "You can't help me at all. I'm the telephone repair man, and I'm here to hook up your phone."

Sometimes we try to make things and ourselves appear better than they and we really are; we try to impress people with who we perceive ourselves to be or want them to perceive us to be instead of who we really are; and often that backfires on us just like it did on the lawyer in the story. We've probably all been guilty of this at some time or another in our lives. But wouldn't it be better to simply be ourselves and the best we can be in that role? But before we can be true to others we have to be true to ourselves. This probably isn't a ver batim quote, but Shakespeare said something like this: "To thine own self be true, then 'twill follow as day the night, thou cans't not then be false to any man." Good statement!

Jesus advised against pretension, calling those who played this little game hypocrites. Remember, you are special and unique; God made you to be yourself and no one else. You are best when being yourself and not trying to be or making others believe you to be something other than who and what you are.

Lonnie Ritchie

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