A Year of Choices…
By Barbara Dahlgren from Barbara’s Banter at www.barbdahlgren.com
Oscar Wilde once said, “Be yourself! Everyone else is taken.” All in all, that’s not a bad choice to make.
If we are totally honest, most of us would probably prefer to be someone else or at least like someone else. We want to be taller, shorter, thinner, quieter, more outgoing, younger, older, wittier, smarter, more organized, athletic, and so on. However, God created us all to be ourselves! There are over 7 billion people in the world and no two have the same finger print, voice vibration, or DNA. It’s really quite phenomenal when you think about it. That’s one reason I can’t totally buy into the evolution theory. But I digress… the point is that we are all different whether we want to be or not.
Should we say to God, “Why did you make me this way?” (Romans 9:20) Or should we be thankful God created us? Instead of resenting the way we’ve been made, perhaps we should embrace it. If there are things we want to change about ourselves and we have the power to do it, there’s nothing wrong with making those adjustments. However, we should realize that God loves us just the way we are.
Also we need to be sure of why we want to even make those changes. Media bombards us with messages making us think we aren’t thin enough, pretty enough, smart enough, talented enough, good enough and so on. However, even the most beautiful women in the world are air brushed on those magazine covers. BTW…Studies show that those with beauty, wealth, and fame are not all that happy with themselves either. But I digress… (I seem to be doing a lot of that today.) The point is that if we aren’t careful we can start to evaluate ourselves by some very lofty, unattainable standards. We can become more concerned about our image than the essence of who we really are. I don’t think that’s what God wants.
There will always be someone better looking, more popular and thinner than us. Guess what? That’s okay. From a spiritual perspective there will always be someone who appears to be praying, studying, and serving more. That’s okay, too. Appearances don’t tell the whole story. The Pharisees outwardly looked righteous but their hearts were far from God. God knows the intent of our hearts.
Perhaps that’s why the Bible continually tells us not to compare ourselves with others. (Galatians 6:4) God created you to be you and me to be me. Each of us has a unique personality. Each of us has differing talents or abilities to be used for God’s glory and purpose – not ours. (1 Corinthians 12:4) Maybe we need to stop wanting to be someone else and want to be who God created us to be.
We can make changes but eventually we will need to concentrate on our strengths and embrace our limitations or we will never get anywhere. We are not all meant to do or accomplish the same things. We all have different strengths and weaknesses. (1 Corinthians 12:5-31) If we could all do the same things, we would not all need to work together.
Many think they have nothing to offer others. Most of us think if we aren’t pretending to be something we’re not then no one will like us. Well God likes us. God even loves us.
Consider this… When Jesus told his followers they were the salt of the earth and a light of the world he was talking to everyday people – mostly the poor, uneducated, lower echelon of society at that time. These were not the religious leaders. Yet Jesus was giving them a sense of self-worth and letting them know their lives mattered. They all had something to offer. (Matthew 5) And so do we – especially since we have Jesus Christ living in us!
So choose to be yourself. Finger prints and DNA show us that everyone else is literally taken!
Suggestions for practicing this choice…
- Don’t say negative things about yourself. If you keep saying, “I’m so dumb” you will start to believe it. (Proverbs 3:7)
- Don’t compare yourself with others. You will never be happy with who you are if you constantly compare yourself to others. Comparison leads to resentment and discontentment.
- Learn to accept the things you cannot change. If you accept yourself it will be easier for you to be accepting of others.
- Don’t be concerned about what others think. Be concerned about what God thinks. God thinks you are a very special person – definitely one-of-a-kind! He made you that way!
- However, guard against having a “that’s who I am – take it or leave” attitude. “Being yourself” is not a license to be obnoxious, anger driven, or a jerk. Those are qualities God can’t use except as a bad example to others.
