{"id":3108,"date":"2015-10-25T09:00:13","date_gmt":"2015-10-25T14:00:13","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.barbdahlgren.com\/?p=3108"},"modified":"2015-08-10T17:05:12","modified_gmt":"2015-08-10T22:05:12","slug":"choose-to-be-yourself","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/barbdahlgren.com\/?p=3108","title":{"rendered":"Choose to Be Yourself"},"content":{"rendered":"

A Year of Choices…<\/em><\/p>\n

By Barbara Dahlgren from Barbara\u2019s Banter at\u00a0www.barbdahlgren.com<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

\"Be<\/a>Oscar Wilde once said, \u201cBe yourself!\u00a0 Everyone else is taken.\u201d\u00a0 All in all, that\u2019s not a bad choice to make.<\/p>\n

If we are totally honest, most of us would probably prefer to be someone else or at least like someone else. \u00a0We want to be taller, shorter, thinner, quieter, more outgoing, younger, older, wittier, smarter, more organized, athletic, and so on.\u00a0 However, God created us all to be ourselves!\u00a0 There are over 7 billion people in the world and no two have the same finger print, voice vibration, or DNA.\u00a0 It\u2019s really quite phenomenal when you think about it.\u00a0 That\u2019s one reason I can\u2019t totally buy into the evolution theory.\u00a0 But I digress\u2026 the point is that we are all different whether we want to be or not.<\/p>\n

Should we say to God, \u201cWhy did you make me this way?\u201d\u00a0 (Romans 9:20)\u00a0 Or should we be thankful God created us?\u00a0\u00a0 Instead of resenting the way we\u2019ve been made, perhaps we should embrace it.\u00a0 If there are things we want to change about ourselves and we have the power to do it, there\u2019s nothing wrong with making those adjustments. \u00a0However, we should realize that God loves us just the way we are.<\/p>\n

Also we need to be sure of why we want to even make those changes.\u00a0 Media bombards us with messages making us think we aren\u2019t thin enough, pretty enough, smart enough, talented enough, good enough and so on.\u00a0 However, even the most beautiful women in the world are air brushed on those magazine covers. \u00a0BTW\u2026Studies show that those with beauty, wealth, and fame are not all that happy with themselves either.\u00a0 But I digress\u2026 (I seem to be doing a lot of that today.)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The point is that if we aren\u2019t careful we can start to evaluate ourselves by some very lofty, unattainable standards.\u00a0 We can become more concerned about our image than the essence of who we really are. \u00a0I don\u2019t think that\u2019s what God wants.<\/p>\n

There will always be someone better looking, more popular and thinner than us.\u00a0 Guess what?\u00a0 That\u2019s okay.\u00a0 From a spiritual perspective there will always be someone who appears to be praying, studying, and serving more.\u00a0 That\u2019s okay, too.\u00a0 Appearances don\u2019t tell the whole story.\u00a0 The Pharisees outwardly looked righteous but their hearts were far from God.\u00a0 God knows the intent of our hearts.<\/p>\n

Perhaps that\u2019s why the Bible continually tells us not to compare ourselves with others. (Galatians 6:4)\u00a0 God created you to be you and me to be me. \u00a0Each of us has a unique personality.\u00a0 Each of us has differing talents or abilities to be used for God\u2019s glory and purpose \u2013 not ours. (1 Corinthians 12:4)\u00a0 Maybe we need to stop wanting to be someone else and want to be who God created us to be.<\/p>\n

\"1<\/a>We can make changes but eventually we will need to concentrate on our strengths and embrace our limitations or we will never get anywhere.\u00a0 We are not all meant to do or accomplish the same things. \u00a0We all have different strengths and weaknesses. (1 Corinthians 12:5-31)\u00a0 If we could all do the same things, we would not all need to work together.<\/p>\n

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Many think they have nothing to offer others.\u00a0 Most of us think if we aren\u2019t pretending to be something we\u2019re not then no one will like us.\u00a0 Well God likes us.\u00a0 God even loves us.<\/p>\n

\"Salt<\/a><\/p>\n

Consider this\u2026 When Jesus told his followers they were the salt of the earth and a light of the world he was talking to everyday people \u2013 mostly the poor, uneducated, lower echelon of society at that time.\u00a0 These were not the religious leaders.\u00a0 Yet Jesus was giving them a sense of self-worth and letting them know their lives mattered.\u00a0 They all had something to offer. (Matthew 5)\u00a0 And so do we \u2013 especially since we have Jesus Christ living in us!<\/p>\n

So choose to be yourself.\u00a0 Finger prints and DNA show us that everyone else is literally taken!<\/p>\n

Suggestions for practicing this choice\u2026<\/strong><\/p>\n