Do you know that God made you? We tell our kids this but do we actually believe it? I think Christians have an impressive way of making the bible suck. We are known for being judgy buttheads… because we ARE!
(I’ve have already lost a few of you with that statement… but for the rest of us who personally feel that judgement, keep reading.)
We, Christ followers, know there is a better way to do everything. We are like the mother-in-law (not mine!) of the religious world. No matter what we are dealing with, there is an answer for our situation, and if we’re really good, we can twist it enough until it suddenly makes complete biblical sense that we don’t vacuum the house that day! Come on! The human mind is such a wonderful, powerful thing that gains momentum when coupled with other thoughts from other people (insert social media HERE).
But what do we say about ourselves in all of this?
I was recently talking with a good friend of mine… a good, kind-hearted mom who just wants her kids to grow up strong and healthy, as you can imagine any mom would. She was telling me how horrible she felt every time she lost her temper with her kids.
*SIGH*
Moms. How many of us have been THERE?! How many of us struggle with this very thing on a daily basis?? I’m not talking about the ACTUAL temper. I’m talking about the way we see ourselves, the struggle with feeling like we never measure up? For this very reason I have grown to dislike the Proverbs 31 wife reference. Perfectly well meaning women (and men) love to throw that in our faces any time they may think we “need” it but what I think us moms and wives and sisters and daughters need is a little freedom FROM the Proverbs 31 Wife. She’s so perfect. She never has a lazy day. She always looks outstanding. AND SHE NEVER LOSES HER TEMPER. Some of us don’t do well with that sort of pressure.
I want to offer you a differing approach. What if… God made us the way we are… on purpose? We love to walk around and say things like this to other people in hopes of raising spirits but we don’t really believe it do we? If we did, there would be much less talk about how awful we are at whatever job we’re doing at the moment and more talk about accepting differences in others. Do you think God, The Almighty, The All Knowing, All Powerful, Great I AM made you solely for the purpose of changing everything about you? Do you think He really wants you to be like the other mom that makes the best meatballs known to man (that’s me, by the way…)?
Now if the foot should say, “because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being a part of that body. And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,’ it would not for that reason stop being a part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? But in fact, God has placed the parts of the body, every one of them, JUST AS HE WANTED THEM TO BE.
-1Corinthians 12:15-19, NIV
Just as He wanted them to be. We’re so quick to quote growth and change from the bible… and don’t get me wrong, I think God wants us to grow to be all that He wants us to be… but I don’t think He wants us to change every aspect of who we are.
I just so happen to be a bit loud. I have been called obnoxious in my day. But wait! God wants a GENTLE spirit! God ONLY wants and uses quite, submissive women. I have spent the better part of my entire life apologizing for being who God made me to be. I was even medicated to repress some things in my nature throughout adolescence.
How do I know God made me to stand out (for lack of better words)? Because when I suppress my natural tendencies to express and be joyful and spirited, something totally opposite happens and I FEEL the evil. I feel anxious and miserable. Not only that, but the people around me feel the “off” that’s happening in me. Suddenly I become this completely different person and it HURTS. Deeply. I have had my dear family beg me to bring the real me back when I’m in those “moods.”
Do you think God has a sense of humor? ABSOLUTELY! Do you see the above picture of a Llama!? They’re hilarious! Do think He wants us to be an army of robots? I’m pretty sure He does NOT. He wants creativity. He wants boldness. He put them there. Just like He put the stars in the sky. Everything He does is on purpose and for a purpose.
So what about all of the “bad” personality traits that seem to just come with the territory? For example, I am bold. And Loud. And super animated. I’m also a great big feeler. Satan sees this and tries to use it for his agenda. I have a bad habit of taking responsibility for things that are not mine to take (Sound familiar? Like, moms do all the time for their kids? We’ll talk about that one later). I have this theory that God placed that in my heart to help me grow to be MORE of the person He wants me to be but He did not place it there for me to constantly feel shame. That is Satan using his techniques to his advantage.
Me not being naturally gentle is not a bad thing. I am gentle when I need to be but most of the time I’m… me. And contrary to popular belief, God likes me 😛 He made me on purpose FOR a purpose and He put those in our lives that He did on purpose, too. We need to stop unintentionally attacking ourselves with doubt and shame and comparison. We can all stand to learn a little something from everyone, but let’s work to not forget who we were made to be.
You are beautifully and wonderfully made.
Make good choices,
Becky
YoungTrailBlazer 