He Made You To Be You

Do you ever wish you were different?

I’m quiet in large groups. I stumble when speaking. I’m deeply emotional. I care about what others think of me. I’m an excessive planner. I’m slow to open up.

Sometimes, I get so irritated by my quiet, emotional nature.

Sometimes, I feel isolated by my personality.

And sometimes, I wish I were different.

I imagine what it would be like to live spontaneously, to travel the world, to be more outgoing, to strike conversations with strangers, to speak gracefully on the spot. I imagine a life with more adventure and less calculation.

But the Lord faithfully covers those thoughts and shows me His perspective, how He sees me:

I may be slow to speak, but a million words of passion flow naturally when I write. I may be quiet-spirited, but I listen intently and I observe carefully. I may be emotional, but I am able to deeply and uniquely connect with others on a powerful level.

The more I step into who God made me to be, the more I see that these things are not bad, but beautiful.  The more I lean into God, the more I see myself the way He sees me.

I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made, marvelous are your works, and that my soul knows very well (Psalm 139:14).

He wants to remind us all of how He sees His creation:

He intricately and intentionally created each of us with different personalities and preferences. He sweetly gifted each of us with different skills and strengths.

We are all uniquely woven together for a purpose and we all have a tremendous gift to bring one another.

We need each other. We need our differences.

We often present what we think the world wants us to be. But God doesn’t call us to be more spontaneous, planned, bubbly, collected, or whatever it may be – He calls us to be like Jesus who accepts us for who we are.

Maybe sometimes you feel like your personality is too much, or maybe sometimes you feel like it’s not enough. Maybe you wish you were different.

But the thing is –

God only creates beautiful things, and He created you.

You are the one
who put me together
inside my mother’s body,
and I praise you
because of
the wonderful way
you created me.
Everything you do is marvelous!
Of this I have no doubt.

(Psalm 139:13-14)

He makes no mistakes.

No matter how we see ourselves, no matter how we feel about ourselves, God sees beauty.

He sees His child.

He sees His creation.

He sees His beloved.

Sometimes, what we view as our weakness is actually our uniqueness. As we draw closer to the One who created us, He shifts our view.

You were beautifully created with a unique personality and purpose. He gave you specific gifts to use for His glory. He made you to be you, and He wants to use you.

So, let’s step into who God made us to be.