We attract what we expect and we become what we believe. Ponder that for a bit. We need to surround ourselves with encouragement and inspiration. Most of all we need to remember who we are and not what this world perceives us to be.
Too often we find ourselves in a pit. Why? We allow other people to tell us who we are. This is why it's so important for us to surround ourselves with loving, positive people. We all need encouragement. No negative Nelly's need to be too close to us. Of course we can't always be surrounded by just positive people, but we want to be aware of just what we are allowing our heart to hear. Negative people tend to take over and pretty soon, yep, we become what we are believing.
I am forever telling my son, "Remember who you are." In other words, don't allow this world to tell you anything different than what your Savior is telling you. The worlds opinion of us doesn't really mean anything in the huge spectrum of life, but sadly, if you're like me, the world shouts and we listen.
It takes courage to be yourself. We can't define who we are by the world's standards. We must allow our standard to only be measured by God's Word. Again, remembering who we are. If we are believers we are children of the King of kings, Lord of lords. We have a royal inheritance in Jesus. Beyond that does the opinion of others really matter? In fact, we allow it to matter too much and soon the world's chatter is so loud in our ears that we are no longer hearing God speak to us.
We allow our past to tell us who we are today. We allow the fears of the future to hold us back and keep us stagnant. Life is scary. We have ups and downs. Sometimes things don't go our way. It doesn't mean God is punishing us or that we have done something wrong. Sometimes life is just hard, but in every area of life there are lessons to be learned. When we give ourselves room to make mistakes and throw out the perception of perfection we can truly begin to grow into the people God has created us to be.
For me, I have learned that the key is keeping my eyes on Jesus and allowing Him to be my center. I'm to gravitate to Him, not this world. Oh, sure the world tries to tell us differently. If it were up to the world Jesus would have no part in our lives. But instead, in courage and in hope, we are to stand firmly in the Word, and show the world just who He is. Not through our perfect lives, not through our pious attitudes, and not through our judgmental attitudes. We show the world Jesus when we are real and transparent. It's okay for the world to see our stumbles as long as we are too showing the world that it's Jesus who helps us get back up.
So, friends, dance in the rain. Sing in the shower. Bloom right there where you have been planted. Shine as the unique person you are and don't worry about what others think of you. Be focused on who Jesus has created you to be.
"And in this I give advice: It is to your advantage not only to be doing what you began and were desiring to do a year ago; but now you also must complete the doing of it; that as there was a readiness to desire it, so there also may be a completion out of what you have. For if there is first a willing mind, it is accepted according to what one has, and not according to what he does not have."
2 Corinthians 8:10-12
