Good morning! :) How are you this morning? feeling like yourselves? Last night and this morning God put it on my heart to talk to you girls about something I've needed to learn (and am currently working on) for a while now. About being yourselves. About being the beautiful creation He made you to be!
We are not Comparable
A very special teacher in my life just reminded me of this fact. That God doesn't compare us to anybody. To quote her words:
"You will stand before God someday and He won't say "why weren't you more like so-and-so" He will just be looking at you, and all the gifts, talents, and calls He gave you. He will judge us by what we did with what He gave us."
That meant so much to me, and I needed to share it with all my dear sisters! So often I find myself comparing myself to people. See, I'll be honest with you, I feel like I have a very awkward body type. I'm about 5' 7" - 5' 8", which is pretty tall when all of my best friends are only 5' 3" ish. Not only that but I have smaller... other things that I'm always a little insecure about. The other day I was writing in my notebook of letters to God and as I look back at it I realize that it is RIDICULOUS. I was thanking the Lord for making me the way He did, and I started to list all the things I loved about how he made me. I talked about how I can love people without even knowing them very well, I talked about how I like adventure, and how I like dressing nicely and I appreciated that He put that in me. But then I made a list of things that I didn't understand about why He decided it was a good idea... This list includes mostly physical features that I'm insecure about, like that I have two teeth in the front that point a little more than most people's canines. Or that I have big feet, that I'm tall, that I have a pretty big toe nail. (yes girls, that's really on there...) that I can only wink with one eye... All this stuff is stuff that I notice is different to someone else. I even put on this list "my insecurity about... everything."And girls, now that I read it again I realize that my insecurity is MY problem. That's my fault. Even though I know that God doesn't compare me to others I can't stop comparing myself and not loving myself for who He created me to be!
So what does the Bible have to say about being who you are and not comparing yourself? this morning I was reading in Romans and I came across this amazing, incredibly inspiring, and oh-so-meaningful passage:
You got a gift from God, it's time to Open It.
"Just as bodies have many parts and each part has a special function, so it is with Christ's body. We are many parts of one body, and we all belong to each other. In His grace, God has given us different gifts for doing certain things well. So if God has given you the ability to prophesy, speak out with as much faith as God has given you. If your gift is serving others, be encouraging. if it is giving, give generously. If God has given you leadership ability, take responsibility seriously. And if you have a gift for showing kindness to others, do it gladly."
Romans 12: 4-8
As you read through that list of all the different talents and things that God gave His children, did any stick out to you? did you think "hey... I might have that gift..." or maybe He bluntly told your heart "Hey! that's you!" Either way, dwell on that. Dwell on the gifts and talents that our Heavenly Father has bestowed on you! Know in your heart that his word says that He gave all of us different gifts. He doesn't want us comparing ourselves and He doesn't want us to ever think that He compares us, because girls, He doesn't.
Let's talk about You
"Oh no not me!" you think, "please, I hate it when people are looking at me, or expect something from me. I'm not worth being stared at or listened to. Please never make me talk on a stage or pray out loud! or... talk. " But my dear sister, we are going to talk about you. we're going to take a minute and think about all the gifts and talents you have to serve Jesus with. You are worth SO MUCH MORE than you will give God credit for! You are beautiful and unique, and you are a princess. You can do things no one else can do because you have the King of Kings as your Father.
So girls, I challenge you today, to love yourself for who God made you to be. With all your little imperfections, and all your gifts. It's time to open up all your presents from God and use them! sooo. Go get a notebook. No really. Now. Go get a piece of paper and we're going to make a list of all your gifts that you can use for Jesus. :)
If you're creative, make it pretty! Embrace who you are, and you will love life so much more.
Alright, start your list girls. What do you know Jesus put in you? Compassion? Love? Leadership? Out-going-ness? Sweetness? Sensitivity? Write it all out. He deserves some credit don't you think?
"For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works,
which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them."
Ephesians 2:10
"I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful
are your works; my soul knows it very well. My frame was not hidden from
you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths
of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were
written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as
yet there was none of them. "
Psalms 139: 14-16
Well dearest sisters in Christ. I love all of you for who God made you to be, and God loves you for that and nothing else. You can do amazing things! I care about all of you and I'm praying for you as I hope you are for me. :) Have a great week ladies!
 |
| "I'm not beautiful like you, I'm beautiful like Me." |
