Flaunt those flaws.

Someone once told me that people don't care how much you know until they know how much you care.

There's this passage in Acts about a man named Philip who went to Samaria to share the good news of Jesus Christ with the people there. The people there loved him, and listened to him, and we read that there was "great joy" in the city because of all he did.

Samaritans were a mixed race, a mix of Jews left behind after Israel's exile and of Gentiles forced to settle in the region. So, in the eyes of the Jews in that day, they were impure and viewed with a whole heck of a lot of contempt. (Even though their religion was also based on the Pentateuch!) They, too, were anticipating a Messiah. They, too, were waiting for a Savior.

My study Bible tells me that Philip was Greek. He wasn't fully accepted by the Jews in Jerusalem. In going to Samaria, Philip was going to a people he could relate to - he knew how it felt to be ostracized, or treated like "second class." They had something in common, the messenger and the recipients. They could identify with each other.

People are more apt to respond to someone with which they can relate. Put plainly, we like people who are like us. Well, maybe "like" is the wrong word. We understand people who are like us. We relate to people who are like us. We can be encouraged by people like us. It's hard to really listen to someone you can't relate to at all. Have you ever had a teacher that just didn't get you? How frustrating is it to have to listen and learn from someone who doesn't understand you at all? It's hard for me to want to learn anything from a person who knows nothing about what I'm going through or what I have been through. This might sound a little self-centered, but it's really not. I promise! It's just a fact: people respond to people they can identify with.

I've said it before - I'm not perfect. But in my imperfection, I always try to live better. I'm not saying that I should be an example for anyone, but who am I to hide my walk and the grace God gives me from others just because I... I what? Don't want anyone else to know how much God loves me and how great that is? God uses our struggles, our ups and downs, our vulnerabilities to give us grace. Who am I to hide God's grace? Why should anyone want to hide it? Flaunt it. I am proud of who I am, not because I am some great person. I'm not. I'm proud because God loves me anyway.