A Quiet Confession

I have a confession: I hardly ever had a Quiet Time when my kids were little. 

I capitalize “Quiet Time” (as opposed to quiet time which I never had then, but now have in abundance) because it is a practice the western world has crafted and created, calling it, essentially though not actually, a requirement of a good Christian’s life. 

Please hear me: I do think that Christians need to quiet their souls so they can hear the still small voice of God, and I do think that can often happen more easily in a regimented time of Bible reading and prayer. But I also think that the Western evangelical formula for how this time should look is creating false guilt in the minds of many–especially young mamas. 

When I was a mom of four young kids, I loved (and still love) God and wanted to learn more about him by spending time in his presence, but my practical life made achieving time alone–for anything– nearly impossible (even showering alone was a luxury; most days, at least one child would lay on the bath mat right outside of the clear glass shower door). I knew this Christian “requirement” of a Quiet Time wasn’t really a rule, but it felt like one to me, and I felt ashamed that I had so much trouble making it happen. I added this shame onto the other guilt I felt about my exhaustion and my impatience with my children’s excessively long bedtime prayers.

The familiar evangelical term, Quiet Time, is a relatively new idea that gained traction in the last hundred years or so–with good intention. For millennia, the masses were illiterate, only hearing scripture read out loud to them.The centuries-long labor pains of illiteracy and inaccessibility made personal Bible reading impossible, but with the advent of the printing press and wide-spread literacy, a more individualistic and regimented Christian faith was born. 

The freedom that we now have to read God’s Word on our own is an unbelievable privilege of the present modern era. And the idea of having a solitary time in prayer and Bible study is a thrilling prospect attainable for all over the course of our lives as spiritual pilgrims. This arc of our hopefully-long lives will include more focused times of devotion (as I had in college as a hungry new believer), and very busy times–like young motherhood–where consistent Quiet Times may be difficult to achieve, and the “slower-mornings” seasons of the empty nest and  retirement. 

As modern evangelical believers who want to walk the way of Jesus, I think we can reformulate the rigid prescription of Quiet Time and lighten the burden of guilt for many. By creating a “system” for meeting with God, we have removed some of the spontaneity of our faith–which is to be child-like and awe-inspiring. How can we get that back? By removing some of the “rules.” If we can learn to commune with God by singing hymns in the shower (even–and especially– if littles are watching), by thanking him for the red birds in the blue sky as we absorb the beauty of the morning, by reading his Word out loud while babies blow bubbles in the bathtub, or by listening to the gospels as we exercise our bodies, then even when our seasons are busy, we can create rhythms in our lives that reverberate with joy, not guilt. 

In my present season of empty-nesting, I absolutely adore my consistent time with the Lord nearly every morning (and I can enjoy a long, hot, and completely private, shower whenever I desire). I don’t love the term Quiet Time, but in reality that is what I do when I meet with the Lord in the mornings over hot coffee and my Bible–I quiet my heart and mind before him so he can become greater and I can become less. My daily Quiet Time is not a requirement. God doesn’t love me any more because I followed a formula for meeting with him. God has always loved all of his children–even before they could read or have solitary time in his Word. Our disciplines don’t change God’s attitude towards us, but sometimes they can change our attitude towards him. And sometimes God can change us just as well when we look to him in desperation in busy seasons and unpredictable circumstances in our lives. 

The Bible doesn’t tell us how much time to spend reading it or how many hours we must accrue to be “holy,” but it does tell us to “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.” (Mark 12:30) So instead of focusing on achieving the perfect Quiet Time in every season of our lives, let’s make our ordinary days–right now–into a loud time of celebrating how much we love him.

Heart Healing Words

Recently, my sister, Tanya, was experiencing episodes of a chaotic and irregular heartbeat. Not only did the electrical system in her heart seem to be misfiring at the most inopportune times, but the stress created by this uncertainty severely limited her active lifestyle. Finally, after a particularly scary event on her daily walk, Tanya made an appointment with a heart specialist and decided to receive a heart ablation per his recommendation. An ablation is a surgical procedure that is used to treat irregular or abnormal heart rhythms, and Tanya’s was successful. But the anxiety that had been created by this malady still haunted her, making her doubt the surgeon’s opinion. She still felt great fear every time she attempted anything that would raise her heart rate significantly. So, after many months of feeling like a victim of her unfortunate circumstances, Tanya revisited the surgeon and exclaimed, “I just want to be able to do the things I used to do!” and the doctor’s swift response was, “You can.” He told her that the procedure had healed her heart and that she should just stop thinking about it.  This whole experience was transformative for Tanya because she chose to completely trust the doctor and take him at his word. She knew that he was skilled and esteemed and she chose to believe that his action to heal her heart had been successful. She no longer needed to worry. She could do the things--walk, hike, run, rejoice--she used to do and she could do them with gusto.

 

Words have power to change how we feel about ourselves. Tanya believed the doctor’s declaration and it ushered her from fear to freedom.

 

If the words of men have the power to transform our lives, how much more the words of God? Do I truly believe the things God has spoken in the Bible? 

What does he really think of me? Here’s God’s honest truth:

1. GOD LOVES ME! Romans 8:38-39 tells us it’s true. The Creator of the universe thinks I am the cat’s pajamas (although none of my cats ever wore pajamas, I think this is a huge compliment!) 

2. I HAVE BEEN CHOSEN BY HIM. Not only chosen, but also an heir to an amazing inheritance with Jesus in Heaven (Ephesians 1:11-14)

3. I AM PRECIOUS AND HONORED. I love reading Isaiah 43 when I am feeling low or insignificant because I know if God calls me by name that I am special.

4. HE GIVES ME POWER TO CONQUER SIN. Sanctification is a long process of making mistakes and then turning back to God. The painful truth of the matter is that while I am in this world, sin will be present in my mortal body. However, I have a choice of whether to follow my sin or follow my Savior. God has given me a helper in the Holy Spirit–John calls it an Advocate–who can assist me in making good choices that glorify God. I won’t always make the right choice, but as a Christ-follower, I have been equipped for success by the Holy Spirit inside me.

5. I CAN’T OUT-SIN JESUS’ BLOOD. When I wallow in my missteps or carry my shame around as a punishment, I am telling Jesus that his sacrifice for me is not enough. But 1 John 1:9 tells us what is actually true: “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” Jesus' blood was enough for the whole world’s sin–including mine.

6. GOD IS MORE CONCERNED ABOUT MAKING ME HOLY THAN HAPPY. God does want me to have an abundant life, but that abundance may look different than I had envisioned because Father knows best and Tori thinks she knows best but doesn’t. This doesn’t mean that I have to fear things that God allows, but it does mean that in this world I will have trouble because the world is broken. I can be encouraged, though, because in the end, God wins.

7. MY LIFE REALLY ISN’T ABOUT ME AT ALL, IT’S ABOUT GOD. In this insta-world with abundant selfies and admonitions to follow my heart, I need to remember that my life needs to be focused on someone else: my Creator. He is the one who will meet all my needs, help me to thrive, and make me feel like I am worthy of love. Our narcissistic world does not provide hope. But my supreme God does: “For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy.” I am not “all that” but God is. He created me and he deserves all the glory. It’s so good for me to remember that.

People’s words can transform the way we think. God’s words can transform our very hearts. The Ultimate Physician has not only healed our hearts, he has poured his life--his righteousness--into them and he has told us so. Do we really believe him? The words he says about us are true, and when we do believe them, we can experience freedom to do the things we were designed to do--to run with freedom, not fear, and with gusto towards the beautiful life he has given us. Praise be to our Healer!

Update: Since first writing this piece, my sister has not only been able to start running, but she faced her anxiety head on by completing a MARATHON in November–with me!

 

STOP IT!

There is an old Bob Newhart skit where a woman enters his office (he is a psychologist) and tells him that she has one great fear; being buried alive in a box. After she elaborates and asks the doctor what she should do, he tells her, “I am going to say two words to you right now, and I want you to listen to them very very carefully, then take them out of the office with you and incorporate them into your life . . . STOP IT!” 

I have watched this over and over and laugh out loud at the doctor’s lack of finesse and empathy. But recently, because I am finally recognizing my constant negative feedback loop regarding myself and others, I have heard God saying, STOP IT! He doesn’t tell me to stop these damaging thoughts about myself and others because he lacks finesse or empathy like Bob Newhart. He is trying to change my thinking because he is sanctifying me. Sanctification means that he is making me into the very best Tori that I can be–the Tori he envisioned even before I was born. 

Because I have Christ’s Spirit in me, I can identify thoughts that originate from my sinful nature instead of my new nature, but I have no obligation to obey them because Scripture tells me that my old nature is no longer in charge: “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!”-- 2 Corinthians 5:17

When I notice that I am thinking about myself or another with dishonor or judgment, I can stop those thoughts in their tracks, and realize that those are the thoughts of the enemy, not God. I can tell Satan to STOP IT! He won’t win with me anymore. I don’t have to obey those thoughts–or him. I can choose to set my mind on “whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable . . .” (Philippians 4:8). 

I am a child of God, so I don’t have to be a prisoner of my own wrong thinking. I don’t have to allow Satan to have victory in my thought life. I can take charge by telling myself to STOP IT! when I head down the well-worn path of negative thinking. This will not only change my thinking but my feelings about myself and others.

Sin no longer can dominate me because I have died to it. And now my new self is being made into the image of my Creator. The thoughts I have about myself and others should be hope-filled and not condemning because Romans 8:1 tells me that there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ. How liberating!

It seems like after nearly forty years of following Jesus that I would recognize the power I possess as his child, but God only gives us understanding of his ways little by little, and sometimes those little epiphanies show themselves when we need them most. God has been faithful to lead me in the past. He will faithfully lead me now. When he shows me my sinful thinking, I need to choose to STOP IT!, repent it, and run back into the safe arms of my sweet Jesus.

 

Why I Focused on Calvary this Christmas

During Advent this year I read through the book of Luke. But rather than stop and focus on Luke 2 where the birth of Jesus is celebrated, I slowed my pace as I reached Luke 22 and 23, where the suffering and the death of Jesus is recorded. 

In the movie Talladega Nights (which I am NOT endorsing), the main character, Ricky, prays over the family meal the evening before he competes in a car race: “Dear Tiny Jesus, in your golden fleece diapers with your tiny, little fat balled up fists...Look, I like the baby version the best, do you hear me?”

Although Ricky’s prayer to baby Jesus is hilarious, I think the words actually encapsulate the way so many of us think. We love to focus on Christ’s birth with all the excitement and joy of that moment, but we must remember, baby Jesus grew up. His infant sweetness was swallowed up in his agonizing surrender. His newborn cries for his mother were drowned out by a desperate cry for his Father not to forsake him. His soft baby skin, once pink and perfect, was torn and pierced for our transgressions. The breath, which caused his small chest to rise and fall, ceased on a cross at Calvary.

It is good and right that we celebrate the birth of Jesus. God broke into history, clothed himself with flesh and laid down his crown for a cradle. Jesus lived in our world! He loved his mama, played with his siblings, worked with his earthly father until his back hurt from bending over the workbench. He felt and dreamed and laughed and cried. He was human in all of its essence and God in all of his glory. 

When we celebrate Christmas only by looking at Advent, we miss the unbelievable reality that Christ lived–for 33 years–perfectly in righteousness so he could die perfectly for our sin. The “baby version Jesus” started his life being laid in a manger of hay but ended it being laid in a tomb of stone. But he didn’t stay there. He defeated death so we could have life.

If we focus on Jesus' birth without pondering Jesus' death, and resurrection, we miss the gut punch of the gospel: “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16). Jesus was a baby. Jesus was a man. And Jesus is a Savior who willingly died in our place. When we believe in him, we get the gift of life eternal! It’s free! 

But it wasn’t free for him: the sweet baby in the manger at Christmas grew to be the suffering Savior on the cross at Calvary. Thank God for his wonderful Gift. 

Welcome 2025! I'm back!

 

After a long absence from my blog, I am motivated to gain more regular writing rhythms and posting here will help create a good cadence in my life. And speaking of my life, here are some things God is teaching me right now.

Five things I learned began to learn in 2024 (and hope to continue to learn in 2025)

He must become greater; I must become less.  – John 3:30

1.   I am learning to be SMALL

Not small in stature. I am still all of 5’10”, tall for a woman, but small in my own mind. And small in my accomplishments. There was a time when I wanted a bigger life, bigger responsibilities, bigger acclaim. I wanted to be known for something I could do really well. But through hiding in my Savior this year, I have found out that in him, I am big to God. When you are big to God, it doesn’t matter if you are small to everyone else or even yourself. Mother Teresa also made this observation when she famously quoted, “Not all of us can do great things, but we can do small things with great love.” I can lovingly do even the very smallest things –whether writing or editing or making a meal for my family – that God has placed before me and be satisfied because they are mine. 

Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High

    will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.

I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress,

    my God, in whom I trust.” 

– Psalm 91:1-2

2. I am learning to HIDE

For so many years in my life, I wanted to be seen–seen as smart, seen as organized, seen as clever and having it all together. These things were important to me, and people’s admiration made me feel validated and valued. I still desire that my voice be heard and my ideas understood, but the gospel has shown me that if I put God in his rightful place by making much of him, not myself, I can be satisfied in the simple fact that I am his child. I am still flattered by the occasional notice or ‘atta girl, but the cravings for people’s approval has diminished. I don’t need to be noticed or approved because I believe I am a child of the King and that is what makes me valuable.

Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come near to God and he will come near to you. – James 4:7-8a

3. I am learning to RESIST

This year God has shown me how often I let Satan infiltrate my thoughts. The enemy subtly convinces me to feel sorry for myself and hold grudges against others. When I fall prey to his words, I feel justified when I judge others. When I listen to the call to selfishness rather than selflessness, I make myself big and make others–and God–small, and I walk the road of superiority rather than humility. But when I recognize this warfare and resist it with the armor of God (Ephesians 6), all I have to do is stand my ground. The Lord fights for me; he is, after all, the final victor in the cosmic battle (Revelation 21). If I choose to think God’s thoughts about whatever is true or right or lovely, rather than Tori’s thoughts about others perceived slights and offenses,  I can truly demonstrate calvary’s love. I can give all my hurts to God who sees and records all of my tears. 

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. – 1 Corinthians 13:4-7

4. I am learning to LOVE

         I have known great love–first through the tender care of my mother and the safety provided by my father. Then, as a child with my sisters and friends, and even my cats. I experienced a thrilling love when I met Brent and married him–what a whirlwind that was! When we had Luke, I understood love in a whole new way, and the intensity of it scared me; this mother-love only continued as we had Tess, Shay, and Cole. And then came the grandbabies: my love continues to grow without limit and to surprise me by its constancy. But this year, I learned about love beyond reason or emotion. I finally understood that Christ’s calvary love should change me. Calvary love: the love that gave up everything to redeem me, that lost everything to give me life, that degraded itself and hung naked on a cross, that suffered unimaginable pain so I could be whole. That love, that LOVE, should so flood my soul. It should temper my mouth and my mind. The amazement of that unselfish act should make all my idle words quiet. The calvary vision should change me so I can love like Christ–even when I hurt, even when I am neglected, even when I feel ignored. When I ruminate on calvary’s love, I can more easily embody patience, humility and honor and more quickly exude joy not anger. 

The path of the righteous is like the morning sun,

    shining ever brighter till the full light of day.

–Proverbs 4:18

5. I am learning to ACCEPT

       Over the course of my life, I have developed a negative feedback loop. The chatter inside my head–often aided and abetted by Satan– tells me I am a failure, a disappointment, stupid. These are not from the God of hope, but from a sin-tainted mind in need of adjustment. This adjustment comes from time spent in the Word where I remind myself of what is true: even though I do sometimes fail, disappoint, and lack clarity, Jesus never did. I can live within my imperfections because he was perfect in my place. When I surrender to him in faith, I can base my self-worth on his perfect life, death, and resurrection, and I can accept who I am even though sanctification is painfully slow. God promises if I faithfully walk beside him, he will continue to work on me. But I won’t be perfect until I meet him face to face. What a wonderful day that will be!

In 2025, I know that God’s gentle wooing and enormous patience with me will continue. If I am satisfied in smallness, and if I choose to resist the devil and to demonstrate Calvary’s love, I will be able to revel in who God made me right now and delight in the Tori he sees fit to reveal.

Rodent Redaction

I seem to be having a rodent problem. 

Example #1: Several months ago, while cleaning a bedroom where a guest had just slept, I lifted the knit blanket from the chair in the corner and I jumped. Stuck to the bottom of the blanket, seemingly sleeping serenely, was a petrified baby squirrel. Yes, I was appropriately mortified. And no, I don’t know how it got there or why I didn’t smell its putrid, decaying frame until I picked up the throw. Evidence below:

Example #2: I had decided to clean my screened porch because spring weather had arrived. I was hoping to sit on the patio furniture and drink my coffee on the upcoming cool mornings. Again, this incident involves a blanket. And again, I was lifting the blanket off the couch when I screamed and started. Under the red, tapestry-like throw, I found a mouse scurrying away with five babies attached to her bottom. Either she was birthing them or nursing them. Judging by the size of all the babies, I decided they were nursing. She was a slow scurry-er with the attached babies, so I got to view her actions for several minutes. In her panic, a few babies detached from her bottom and were laying in the corner of the couch. She tried to grab one of them in her mouth and found another hiding place for them under a pillow. By this time, I was freaking out and had no idea how to move this little family without mouses climbing up my arms. I ran to get the kitchen broom, pushed the pillow away with the broom, and was finally able to prod her onto the floor and out the porch door. In her surprised haste, she dropped several of her babies on her way down the stairs. I gathered up the dropped furless babies carefully in a dustpan and put them on the grass below the stairs. They were making pitiful squeaking sounds. Then I went back into my porch and found the perfectly round hole in one of the screens where mama mouse had chewed through so she could nest in a blanket that lay upon my patio furniture. I didn’t have time to fix the hole in the screen, but I placed a mouse trap just below it on the windowsill and yelled down to mama mouse, “I saved you and your babies but now you must stay out of my porch.” Apparently, mama mouse did not understand English and apparently, she thought some of her babies were still on my couch because she made her way through the hole, stepped onto the mousetrap, and got caught by her head. RIP mm. See very fuzzy screen shots from video as evidence below:

Also, I am not a bad housekeeper.

                       

Example #3: As I was drinking coffee on my now rodent-free porch this morning, I glanced out the screen door and saw this:

This was not a pleasant sight first thing in the morning, especially with my recent rodent problems. I wasn’t sure who had pooped on my porch stairs, but I knew whoever it was had been eating lots and lots of seeds. I proceeded to finish my coffee, then go to the garage and gather up a trowel. I used the trowel to scoop the poop and plop it onto the grass below. As I walked outdoors, I noticed that the pooper had also visited the nearby swing set and decided to leave a seedy deposit on the lofted playhouse. No one wants a poopy playhouse, so I also removed the poop via trowel and threw it out into the yard. After I had performed all this stinky seedy scat removal, I googled “dark brown seedy rodent poop” and discovered that a raccoon was the most likely culprit. I also discovered that raccoon poop is VERY TOXIC because it often contains Baylisascaris worms and, according to the CDC, I was supposed to be VERY CAREFUL when removing it. These are the directions listed for clean-up. I have placed a check mark after the ones I followed:

• Wear disposable gloves.

• Wear a N95-rated respirator. 

• Avoid stirring up dust and debris.

• Wear rubber boots that can be scrubbed or cover your shoes with disposable booties that can be thrown away.

• Feces and material contaminated with raccoon feces should be removed and burned, buried, or sent to a landfill.

• Treat feces-soiled decks, patios, and other surfaces with boiling water or a propane torch. ✔                

I read these precautions AFTER I, gloveless, maskless, and bootless, had quickly discarded the poop. I did not burn, bury, or send the poop to a landfill. I threw the poop in the yard where my dog and my grandchildren play. 

Reading further, I learned “Raccoon droppings are dangerous because many contain tiny roundworm eggs that can infect humans and cause serious illness if accidentally swallowed or inhaled. Although these infections are rare, they can lead to irreversible brain, heart, and sometimes eye damage and death.” Because I am a worst-case scenario kind of person, I was certain that I had inadvertently ingested Baylisascaris larvae and that I would die within the month. Wanting to spare my husband (who would mow over the poop and also ingest the larvae), I quickly went inside (and after spitting a lot and gargling with salt water to kill any worms in my mouth), put the kettle to boil and proceeded to pour boiling water on the scattered poop pieces and upon any stairway surface the poop had touched. I chose the boiling water method because I did not desire to burn up my house, yard, or swing set. After pouring all the water out on the feces pieces, I boiled another pot and poured it on the poop spot on the swing set loft. Then I carefully looked in the river rock under the loft because I was sure that my granddaughter would play in those pebbles, pick up the poop, eat it, and become disabled for life. And it would be my--and the absent raccoons--fault. So, excuse me now as I contemplate my recent rogue rodents and the uncertain fate of myself, my husband, my current and future grandchildren. 

Finally, as with all experiences, I have gained a few droppings of insight, so I will leave you with some solid advice: Check your blankets carefully before you entertain guests, use wisdom when choosing to assist a mother mouse, and never ever invite a raccoon to share your bathroom. 

You Do You?

This is a repost from a few years ago. Someone said this ubiquitous phrase to me the other day and I remembered that I had written about somewhere. That somewhere was on my very own blog. Check it out: 

My children, who are now grown and think I am old and peculiar will often respond to my strange habits or proclivities with “you do you.”  I used to think this was funny, and actually kind of empowering, since I do think and act differently than your average millennial.  But, as I mulled it over in my old, peculiar brain, I decided that “you do you” was pretty bad advice theologically. 

If I followed the mantra of “you do you,” I would eat only tortilla chips and salted (not ‘lightly salted’) almonds and Breyer’s Cookies and Cream Ice Cream.  And I would drink only ice water (with good ice) and extra hot hazelnut coffee from Panera (with plenty of half and half), with an occasional Diet Coke fountain drink thrown in (not into the coffee of course) for good measure (again, good ice).  I would lie in my hammock for days on end and read stacks of books and sleep.  I would rarely leave my house unless I ran out of the above-mentioned foods.  And I would wake up in the morning around 9:30am and wear a hat every day because I would never fix my hair. I would use parenthesis liberally.

If I followed the mantra of “you do you,” I would take every opportunity to tell you why you are wrong, and I am right.  I would complain incessantly about anything and everything.  I would criticize the way you thought and dressed and spoke.  And if those words that you spoke hurt me, I would not forgive you.

If I followed the mantra of “you do you,” I would believe that I was too bad to enter God’s presence; that I was too small to gain his attention; that I was too far gone to deserve his forgiveness. 

And I would be right.

Because if I followed the mantra of “you do you,” I wouldn’t be able to restrain my tendencies to hurt and to hate.  I wouldn’t be capable of forgiveness and flourishing.  I wouldn’t be fit to come close to God.

So, I have decided instead to live by “you do Jesus,” since the whole “you do you” just isn’t gonna cut it. 

If I live by the mantra, “you do Jesus,” I can retrain my brain and restrain my body to make it healthy and holy. 

If I live by the mantra, “you do Jesus,” I can measure my words and monitor my mouth and renew my mind.

If I live by the mantra, “you do Jesus,” I can not only forgive the ones I hold captive, I, myself, can be forgiven!  I can become fit because he was forsaken; lifted up because he brought himself low!  I can give him my rags of shame and gain his robe of splendor! 

If I live by the mantra “you do Jesus,” I can come close to God!

So, really, you don’t want me to do me. 

The me you see now is Jesus in me, slowly (oh, so slowly), but ever so surely working out my salvation for his glory.  I am learning to walk in his ways (clumsily, imperfectly, even sometimes disobediently), and he is making me into the Tori he intended before the world began.

I am learning to rest in his love. 

Next time you hear “you do you,” don’t let it fool you.  And don’t let it make you a fool.

Don’t “you do you.”  Hide yourself in Jesus instead.

Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.

Colossians 3:1-4