As a writer you must write what the Lord lays upon your heart. Not what others say you can write or not write. Many times the things we share hurt. God's Word is offensive. Think about that. His Truths are worthy to be upheld and if we are going against His Word we can very well find fault. We just don't want to see that fault as our own, but as the Bible must be inaccurate. Truths are hard to share because your fearful either someone will become offended or someone will just get downright mad. But shouldn't we stay true to ourselves? Shouldn't we be honest and pure in our writing? More importantly in our every day lives? Isn't it that very honesty and truth that connect us with others? I cannot tell you how many times I have heard a friend say to me, "Well, I didn't know that about you". If I hadn't opened up my heart and put aside my fears they would have never known.
Most people will just not speak their mind. They hold everything in and then as matters keep getting heavier and heavier it's then that they explode in anger. Maybe they carry their hurt feelings with them for so long that they become bitter. There are times to be quiet and just listen, but there too are times that we must open up and share. So many times I hear from my readers who say, "I am so glad you shared this. It's nice to know I'm not alone." For a writer, that is a huge blessing. Even if it was just one person touched by what you have penned it was all worth it.
As this new year has entered I want to write with a new freshness. A new passion. I want to be more open and honest. I want to connect with my readers on a new level. The only way to do that is to stay true to the Lord and follow His will. Not my will and surely not those around me. I had just ordered a beautiful new bracelet from a friend. It is a pink leaf. I look as it as a New Year's gift to remind me to turn over a new leaf. As seasons come and change the leaves are ever changing and that is something that as Christians we should be continuing to do with Christ as we walk with Him.
So with that all said, today I want to write about the subject of being yourself and judging. If we are different others look at us as if there is something wrong with us. Lets just be honest. We judge all the time. If someone is different than us it opens a door for us to look at them different. If I can't be myself, than just who am I suppose to be? Friends, if people cannot accept you for who you are, well then, that's okay. Your the one being true to yourself. I love the yoga quote, "Get comfortable with being uncomfortable". We can find comfort in Christ when uncomfortable situations occur. I have to be me. You have to be you. If others are uncomfortable with that, well it's not your problem:) it's theirs.
I must be accountable for my actions. When I spend time with the Lord, it's the job of the Holy Spirit to direct my path. God plans my course of action. What others think of me is not really all that important and oh, how we can get caught up in that. That can be a sad and lonely place just wondering what others are thinking and saying about you.
It isn't for me to try to change others to fit my mold. What is my mold anyway? It's the job of the Holy Spirit to mold us and create in us the person we are to be in the Lord. After all, weren't we ALL created in His image? It's when we begin judging others for being different that we too are judging God. We are more or less saying, "Hey, when you created them you messed up big time!" God doesn't make mistakes and He sure doesn't create junk!
Am I a pink hair, tattoo, gauge wearin' girl? No. I wish I could rock pink hair, but see, that's just not my thing. I have seen some amazing tattoos that have caught my eye that brings me to ask about them. It's then that I get to connect with that person with the tat and they too get to connect with me as they share the story behind it. I have my own quirkiness and my own style. I don't try to be like anyone else. Why should I do that? I think it's lovely when we finally get to that place in life where we are content with who we are in our own skin. It's something we should strive for and a gift we should give to others. It's not for me to change anyone. Just as I wouldn't want anyone to change me. That's the job for the Holy Spirit to convict the heart. As we grow in Him we change to become more like Him and isn't that where we should all hope to be in our walk?
Whether you have pink hair, wear gauges, or have tattoos, there is mighty work to be done! God's work! He is in the business of choosing those who stand out and those with humble hearts. When did being different become a sin? It isn't! Those who walk different than the "norm" doesn't mean we walk any further away from Jesus. I think that couldn't be any further from the truth. I think being yourself and standing in who God created you to be should be applauded. We weren't created to all be just alike. We are all unique and created by the same loving God. I believe it might be those standing in judgement of those who don't fit the "norm" category that should take a serious look at their walk in Christ. Where is the love? Where is accepting ALL in the love of Christ? I think folks who stand out and are comfortable with themselves should be applauded for being themselves and not trying to fit a mold that the Christian world tries to put us in. We always speak of the judgement of the "world", but friends, if we are not careful the judgement of the "church" can be as destructive. Friends, stand out! Be yourself and when you do, use the gifts God has given you to reach those that most will never have the opportunity to reach!
"To be nobody but yourself in a world which is doing its best, night and day, to make you everybody else means to fight the hardest battle which any human being can fight; and never stop fighting."
E.E. Cummings
"He who trims himself to suit everyone will soon whittle himself away."
Raymond Hull
"It takes courage to grow up and become who you really are."
E.E. Cummings
"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."
Psalm 139:14-16
"But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.”
1 Samuel 16:7
"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
Lord, help me to be the girl You have created me to be. Help me not to judge those who are different from me, but to accept them in love. Your love is the love that brings us all together. Thank You, Lord, for creating me just as you have. Open my heart to all the changes You want to bring and make clear the very things You like just the way they are. Lord, help me to stand out and make a difference just by being me. Amen
