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
I am going to spend the majority of this post getting a little real here…. If you have spent some time reading this blog then you will know this is nothing new; I share. I share a lot. I overshare. But I want you and I to sit here in this post and pretend we are face to face over a cup of coffee or tea. We can clutch our warm mugs, sit across from each other in brave spirits, and just let the guard down and share our souls. In the spirit of friendship I want to tell you this:
I need you to be you.
Because I like you. I like who you are. I like the person God created you to be. I like the giftings and talents He gave just to you alone. I love the uniqueness of you. I love who He gave us when He gave us you.
And I want you to be authentic to that. I want you to be authentic to the person He made you to be.
Because the world tells us to be a free spirit, to search for ourselves, and to be true to who we are… But then they turn around and give us a list of how we should be, how we should act, and then compartmentalize us into these roles. They call us hipsters or crunchy or preppy or classy…. We are defined by these standards and we try to fall into those categories.
And I think sometimes we just go along with the ride of those definitions… On the days that life is difficult, it is sometimes easier to just go along with the flow then to fight, to stand against the tide, to be brave.
I sincerely believe the reason we are all so tired is because we are trying so hard to be who we think we should be… Or the world’s perception of it at least. Life is hard yes, and days are difficult, but I believe as we walk in the authenticity of who we are created to be, we will have peace and even rest. Because even though the days are hard, we are walking as the light of His creation.
Matthew 5:16 talks about letting our light shine before men so they can see the goodness of God. Friends, I have come to the place where I feel like people aren’t seeing the authentic life of a Christian through me. They are seeing the woman who let’s God control the surface but struggles with the depth of His love and therefore takes her own control of the hard things…. I am at the place where I realize I can’t do it like this anymore. Because I am not supposed to be this way. If He is my Savior then He is the Savior of every part of my life. Even the parts of me I may not love or want to change. He whispers “I am your Creator. Let me lead.”
I am on a mission this year to see people past their surface. I want to see the story behind the person. To hug a stranger who may need it. I want to encourage others to be authentic to who God created them to be.
And so today, I ask you, as your friend, to let that veil you’ve been holding up, to hide what you are afraid people might not like or love… Just let it drop. Turn your total self, inside and out, over to your Creator. Let Him lead you and guide you and help you to be brave and show the world the person you are but mostly who He is through you. You are not a category to fit into my friend. You are unique. Beautiful. Special. I want to do this life with you as we love our Savior and help a world in need.
So let’s fight for this authentic life together, holding each other’s hand, but mostly searching Him, knowing Him, trusting Him as He makes us brave.
PS SO glad I get to have a friend in you.