I sometimes, okay, often, feel like a square peg trying to fit in a round hole. This is about how I feel when I succumb to the temptation to compare myself to others. I wish I had this licked but I certainly don’t.
I think The Lord has graciously helped me make some progress in this area because He is just good like that.
It’s a daunting task to try and fit into anothers mold, we just weren’t designed for it. We were made to “Be”. You just being you and me just being me; celebrating the differences we have and coming together to see what we would look like if we converged.
I tend to be drawn to people who are very organized almost a little OCD and administrative. They have exactly what I do not possess. The ability to accomplish things in a systematic orderly way. Many of these creature friends of mine are teachers. I say creatures because their species is foreign to me, their desk trays that separate rubber bands from paperclips. Their motto is every thing has a home.
I start out with good organized intentions but my free spirited person quickly takes over and apprehends the impostor. My approach is a little more “abstract”. You know my type… You cannot find a thing on my desk but I know right where it is located. Organized chaos if you will. Seriously, I am not that bad but I have desperately coveted those organizational skills that I seem to be coming up short in.
In fact, if I start focusing on what others have instead of what God has gifted me in, I can get brutal with myself. Berating myself with thoughts that feel like blood dripping off a machete. That is how brutal it can feel.
Why do we do this to ourselves?
What if all the colors in a kaleidoscope were all the same color or shape? How about the rainbow? What if everything was just the same? How boring would that be.
What if your quirky ways were the very thing God and others celebrated in you? The thing you see as a dysfunction is the very thing that empowers you to be who you are and do what you do.
Originals
There is a reason none of us have the same fingerprints, that there are no two snowflakes exactly alike, and every sandcastle looks unique according to the designer. No two paintings are exactly alike. This is why they are called “originals”.
What if we believed these quotes from” The Help” . You is kind. You is smart. You is important. This would be the language of love. If you listen closely you might hear The Lord whispering something similar to your heart. Don’t let the noise of comparison drown out the voice of love. This is what we do when we step into another’s uniqueness abandoning our own.
We all have different gifting according to what we are called to do. Isn’t that what it’s all about really? Using what you’ve been gifted with to fulfill a purpose.
I can wish, hope and pray to be 5’7 with dark brown hair and a long lean build but everyday I get the opportunity to say “Thank you” for the 5’4 ½ ( yes the ½ matters. ( smile) ) bleached hair and curves that I received. How do I say “Thank You” to God? By not wishing I was my neighbor or the lady on the magazine, she is airbrushed after all.
Media Overload
The media continually tries to cram down our throats what “beautiful” looks like. These images are very unrealistic and sets us up for failure. Trying to achieve this we begin to suppress the natural beauty and shape God has given us in order to “measure” up to what the media projects as beauty.
What if w
e didn’t compare ourselves but simply embraced ourselves with our uniqueness.
Striving for a beauty that isn’t external but internal. Embracing ourselves making us more comfortable in our skin.
Being the best we can be by being healthy, spirit, soul and body. Letting go of who we think we should be and accepting who our father has designed each of us to be.
Stop listening to the voices around you…the media, negative friends and family, societal norms…and start listening to God. His view of you is far greater than anything you can imagine. But its time to start imagining.
Have you had problems with self image? Have you struggled with identity. Its time to let God remake your self image. Why not start today.
If you would like to get a better picture of how God views you, check out the FREE bible called “A Balanced Life.” Just input your name and email and you can get instant access to the download. It’s FREE, so don’t put it off.
Hey, if you liked this article please click “like” on the sidebar and leave me a comment below.
Thanks