“We can be anything we want to be, but we can’t be anyone we want to be” (Paul Hudson). “Be yourself; everyone else is already taken” (Oscar Wilde). As a child, anytime I pretended to be what I was not, my mother would call me by name and say this proverb: “Tadpole, don’t carry yourself as if you’re a fish.” Just because a tadpole lives in the same pond with baby fishes—and looks and swims like them—should not make it think itself a fish. Our identity (who we really are, not our ambient situation) must dictate how we carry ourselves. We live in a world of pretense. We pretend in order to be liked or get what we want. But pretending can be emotionally draining and sickening. It’s like drinking alcohol or doing drugs: “the more you consume, the worse you feel… the worse you feel, the more you consume. And then one day you take a look at yourself and feel sick to the stomach” (Hudson). Be honest; live without pretending. Be real with people—and with God. (James 2:14-26; John 2:23-25). For a distorted identity can be costly, as the fish-pretending tadpole can easily land itself in a fish-lover’s soup.—Samuel Koranteng-Pipim
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SAMUEL KORANTENG-PIPIM,PH.D. , is a US-based Ghanaian author, inspirational speaker, leadership trainer, and an advocate for youth empowerment. He was trained in engineering and systematic theology, and has authored more than twenty books. They include his bestselling works Hope Through the Dark, Six More Chances, Healed Wounds but Ugly Scars, and Patience in the Midst of Trials and Afflictions. Dr. Pipim currently directs two Centers for Leadership Development known as EAGLES (Empowerment & Advisory Group for Leadership, Excellence, & Service) and ANANSE (African Network & Advisory for Needed Services & Excellence). www.EAGLESonline.org. He also serves as a special consultant on Bible projects for Remnant Publications. 