Cultivating authenticity – letting go of what people think | Learning to Live Imperfectly

Verses from the book of Esther.

Questions for individuals and groups.

We are starting a new series for our Sunday services: Learning to Live Imperfectly. It tackles our inward life – the way we think about ourselves, which then impacts the way we engage with the world and the people around us. Based on the book The Gifts of Imperfection by Christian writer Brené Brown, we draw on the scriptures to explore ideas of courage, worthiness and self-compassion, and are encouraged to let go of perfectionism, shame and fear of what others think. None of us is perfect, but God has placed beautiful, valuable qualities within each of us. None of us is perfect, but we can learn to live a full, free and fruitful life with our imperfections.

This week, we look at cultivating authenticity. Lots of us struggle with what people think of us. Others struggle with feeling worthless and that we have nothing to offer. We explore the story of Esther from the Bible, and discover that we need to do is let go of what others think, and learn to live courageously with our imperfections. We also hear about a great new programme from Wokingham Baptist Church called Celebrate Recovery.