Staying True to Who We Are

My first car was a pickup truck. It was a Chevy S-10 pickup. Red and white. The rearview mirror came in the glove box and I had to constantly re-glue it to the window. There was no air – which was fine in Oregon, but when I moved to Las Vegas where it was very hot in the summer. Driving around with no air, was not something I enjoyed. Still… I loved that truck. 

That truck was “me.”

I actually had a little Honda for a few weeks before the Chevy. It was a stick-shift. 

It didn’t feel right because, I wanted an automatic, and I wanted a truck. 

The car was a good deal, so at the time, I gave in, and got it. It was cute and in great shape. But it was not what I wanted. It was not “me.” I got so frustrated trying to learn to drive it.

So it only lasted a couple of weeks before we re-sold it.  

Then, my dad found my Chevy. MY Chevy. 

I was so happy.

That’s the way it is with our lives. Sometimes we give in and do things that are just not “us.” Whether it’s peer pressure from those around us, or lack of patience, we decide to just go with something. 

But it’s all wrong. 

It’s not God’s will for us, and it’s not who we are. 

So we get frustrated. Just like I did with my car. 

The thing itself, may not be bad. It may be something that is very worthwhile or attractive. But it wasn’t meant for us.

Only when we wait and stay true to who we are, will we find that we are happy. Only when we stick with the desires and dreams that God has placed inside of us – only then will we find true satisfaction as we live out the calling that He has placed deep within us.

It doesn’t matter if everyone else around us likes cute little cars. If God created us to love trucks – only trucks will do. And it doesn’t matter if everyone else loves to run, drink coffee, own a dog, or wear certain kinds of clothes, and live certain lifestyles. If God didn’t create us that way, none of those things will work out for us. They won’t satisfy, and we won’t flourish in those roles, lives, or positions.

We will be disheartened.

We should be proud to be who we are. 

I love that I’m not like everyone else. I love how I was made. I know myself enough, to know what things I would and wouldn’t enjoy in life. 

But it took time to learn.

I’ve learned not to fight against the innate “me” that God created. For He MEANT for me to be this way - and He didn’t make a mistake.

If I try to change that? I won’t be happy. I won’t flourish in the gifts He’s given me. I won’t grow. I will only live in confines that feel restricting. 

But for someone else? Those same things may make them feel free!

Because they are different. 

Let us rest in HIS design. For we are fearfully and WONDERFULLY made.

We are each beautiful in our uniqueness. Let’s celebrate that, and fully live in that uniqueness. And never let anyone make us feel bad or sorry, that we aren’t like them.

For The Times When You Can't Talk to Anybody

There are times when you can’t talk to anybody. Trust me, I get it.

There are countless things we go through in life, that we don’t feel we can talk to anyone else about. Things that weigh so heavily on our hearts - but aren’t things other people will understand or even “get.”

So much of the spiritual warfares we go through are PERSONAL.  Whether they are marital disagreements that wage themselves over our hearts for years, or emotional battles - we go through things that other people may find silly. They may not agree with our position.

We feel so very alone.

I’ve been there. I think we all have.  We don’t want to air our dirty laundry out in public, yet we’re not quite sure we’re at a position where we need counseling, therapy, or medical intervention.

Regardless, the tears are close to our eyes; the burden weighs heavy on our hearts.

In these times, I cling to my God - with a fierce grip. I seek His face, His strength, and His wisdom and discernment.

I talk to Him A LOT. (And I should be talking to Him A LOT every day, anyways.) But I talk to Him A LOT in these moments and seasons.

I ask God to help me somehow be reasonable in how I’m seeing and dealing with things. To give me perspective - and in cases where needed, to give my spouse or children perspective. To help us land on the same page.

I ask Him for help. Because I don’t have any answers.

And then I step through my day. One foot at a time.

Our God… MY God is a BIG God. And He knows all of these personal battles that wreck us. We may not have a clue how to navigate them - but He does. And so I trust in that.

I’ve been through some heavy-duty battles in my life. And I’ve learned things don’t always go the way I think they should go. This scares me when I’m waging a new hurt in my life and heart. But I’ve also learned that I will survive. 

Somehow. 

With God’s help, there will be a new day. A new dawn. And I will get through whatever the ‘thing’ is.

So, I get it. There are times where we just feel like an island in the world. Like we can’t go to anyone else, and we are walking through something all by ourselves.

And you know what? You are….. and you aren’t.

Humanly, you may be. No one else may have ever dealt with what you are dealing with. But spiritually and emotionally? You are NEVER alone. God is right there with you.

Things may seem unfair. One-sided. Overwhelming. Targeted. But God has you tenderly in His arms. He will work things out for your best interests. He will make sure you are able to come out on the other side. 

It will still hurt. Sting. The tears may fall easily and often. But friend, God knows. He sees you. He sees me. He knows what we are going through.

So keep walking. Keep seeking. Keep praying.

Keep asking for wisdom, discernment, joy, and peace. 

And He will wipe away your tears, and replace them with strength.

The Pressures of Living Up to "All of That"

We live in a unique time period of life.  More than ever before, we have people speaking into our lives. We have “messaging” speaking into our lives.

We hear what we should be, how we should be it, and many more things, from tv advertising and shows, movies, facebook, instagram, pinterest, twitter, and all of those other websites and youtube videos that we run across online.

On the one hand… what an advantage we have. More than ever before we have online tutorials to help us when we have questions, or resources at our fingertips to ease our minds about things that bother us.

On the other hand… we have SO much information bombarding us that the pressures to ‘live up’ to all of that, can be overwhelming. 

It’s no wonder we walk around feeling defeated and stressed.

We SEE what we want to look like and what we do not want to look like.

We SEE how we should eat, but are struggling to get it locked in.

WE HEAR all of the adventurous and blessed things that are happening to others.

We SEE all of the friendships and great family environments that other people have.

And if we don’t have these things ourselves, it can be depressing. 

Sometimes, we can be motivated and empowered. But if we continue to struggle, or things don’t start happening the way we want? Continuing to see and hear those voices speaking into our lives, can put a lot of unnecessary pressure on our shoulders.

I feel it too, at times.

But we CAN deal with it and not let it overtake our hearts.  

For one, remember that social media is not bad. It is simply a reflection of who we are, and what is going on around us in society. So, you don’t need to quit it all together, unless you feel really strongly that you need that boundary in your life to be emotionally healthy.

Next, remember to always keep a filter on in your heart, your head, and your soul. Filter everything you hear, see, and take in. Filter the different situations, and environments that come with the advice, photos, and input that you are seeing. Not everything is realistic for everyone. And sometimes, we simply need to put on the filter of, ‘I’m happy for her,” and know that that will never be a reality for us. 

And that’s OKAY. We can still be happy, blessed, and valued whether or not we attain or have something we value in someone else.

The point is, we need to keep our feet and our heads, on solid ground. Understand that life is diverse. We are not all meant to be the same, look the same, weigh the same, or act the same. And we are just living in a time, where we are finally seeing and hearing what is going on with everyone else. We are hearing what companies want us to think we can and can’t live without.

So, don’t always let them SELL their message to you. Filter it with your heart and your head. Decide if it’s something that will truly bring something positive to your life. And if it’s unattainable? Then tweak that messaging and instead, motivate yourself in a slightly different direction.

Our society is feeling the weight of all of these thoughts and voices from others running into each person’s life. Across each person’s screen.

Know how to control it. Know how to filter it. KNOW that you are valuable regardless of whether or not you can insert yourself into what you are seeing. For most of the time, you will not. See it for what it is, and simply click “like” and admire - but then go out and enjoy your own life. Soak in your own world. 

Live your own life with beauty, strength, and joy.  For that is what makes it enviable.