Be You

Just be yourself. 

How many times we hear it! But it's so hard to be myself! After all, who am I, really? 

Being yourself requires that you know who you are. To be yourself, you must figure out who you are and then embrace that person. It is finding an identity and owning it. But where do you find that identity? It could be your job. Maybe your identity is Wife and Mother. Maybe it's Single and Loving It. Maybe it's what you wear, or what you drive, or the stuff you're involved in. We can get our identities from just about anywhere. 

But should we?

Where should we get our identities? Two words: Jesus Christ. He has given us our identity as Children of God. Who am I? I am God"s child. Yes, I may be a teacher, an aunt and a lot of other things, but my  first identity-the only one that matters- is Child of God. 

Our society can try to label me. What I choose to do with that label is my choice. For many years, I let them label me. I tried to fit into a certain box. I would look at myself in the mirror and cringe because society had labeled me Fat. I would look at my life and cringe because society had labeled me Unsuccessful. I would look at my dating history and cringe because society had labeled me Unloveable. 

Then something changed. God changed me. He showed me my true identity. I was His and He loved me no matter how Fat, Unsuccessful, and Unlovable I felt. I wasn't meant to fit into society's stupid little narrow minded boxes. I was created in His image to enjoy my life in Him. I was free to be the me He created me to be. 

So I stopped giving a crap. I wasn't model thin. So what? I love food. I'm not going to starve myself just to look like the girls on TV. That's dumb. Sure, I don't have a degree in anything and I've jumped from job to job with long periods of unemployment in between. Whatever. I have a job now and I love it and I didn't need some expensive degree to get it. And yeah, I've never had a boyfriend. Oh well. At least I've never had my heart broken! Besides, there are more important things on life than having a man in my life. 

Once I freed myself of all those stupid labels, I found out a whole lot about myself:

I love color. I never embraced that about myself before. Color rocks and I look good in all kinds of colors. Bright colors. 

I hate clothing sets. How boring! I wear whatever I want whenever I feel like it. One day, I might be retro, and the next day I might be boho. I don't have a "look" and I don't really worry about if my clothes "go" together. The way I wear them, they do. 

I have a slightly charismatic worship style. I like clapping, dancing and raising my hands. Yes, I wear deodorant when I go to church. 

My weight is really not that important to me. I like to be active and I try to stay healthy. Being Jessica Alba is unhealthy and ridiculous. I would rather enjoy my life. 

I could go on, but I won't. The point is, you and I are God's Children and any other boxes people try to put you in and labels they put on you don't matter. God loves you and thinks you're something special. That's why He sent Jesus. So stop worrying about how you fit in with everybody else. Be unique! Be yourself!

Shake us up, Lord!