By Erin Elizabeth Austin
I’m different – special, unique, complex. In essence, I’m weird. I wish I could blame it all on the lupus, but the truth is I’ve always been a bit odd. I don’t fit into a category. From loving all genres of music to being a bit of a tomboy who also likes to dress up, I always find myself on the outskirt of societal norms. And that’s okay.
Unfortunately, it’s taken me too long to understand this truth. As children, we are all given a set of expectations from our parents or guardians, be it good or bad. We take what we see in the adults around us and we form our belief system. The majority of us try to take what we learn, adapt, and fit in. The problem occurs when we realize that nine times out of ten our true selves are different than how we believe we should be.
I was reminded of this the other week when I was spending time with my nephews. They wanted to watch a Disney movie called The Lucky Duck. For those who haven’t had the privilege of watching this cartoon, it actually has a good message despite the annoying theme song that will stay in your head for days! It’s about a group of toys that are shipped away because they don’t meet factory regulations. Lucky, a rubber duck who can’t squeak, is the one who understands it’s okay to be different and leads them to a group of children who love having a toy that isn’t like all the others.
In some ways, I think we’re all like the toys in The Lucky Duck. We all have something that makes us different from everyone else. Whether it’s sickness, a chocolate addiction, the inability to stay away from the mall, or a love of comic books, we are all unique, and that’s a good thing! God loves who we are. He didn’t make a mistake when He created us. He delights in us!
One of my favorite psalms is Psalm 37. The most quoted verse in the entire psalm is verse 4, which says, “Delight yourselves in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart.” It’s a wonderful verse and there’s a powerful message there, but I think many times we stop at verse four and don’t read the rest of the psalm because halfway down in verses 23 and 24 there’s an even more powerful message. It says:
I’m different – special, unique, complex. In essence, I’m weird. I wish I could blame it all on the lupus, but the truth is I’ve always been a bit odd. I don’t fit into a category. From loving all genres of music to being a bit of a tomboy who also likes to dress up, I always find myself on the outskirt of societal norms. And that’s okay.
Unfortunately, it’s taken me too long to understand this truth. As children, we are all given a set of expectations from our parents or guardians, be it good or bad. We take what we see in the adults around us and we form our belief system. The majority of us try to take what we learn, adapt, and fit in. The problem occurs when we realize that nine times out of ten our true selves are different than how we believe we should be.
I was reminded of this the other week when I was spending time with my nephews. They wanted to watch a Disney movie called The Lucky Duck. For those who haven’t had the privilege of watching this cartoon, it actually has a good message despite the annoying theme song that will stay in your head for days! It’s about a group of toys that are shipped away because they don’t meet factory regulations. Lucky, a rubber duck who can’t squeak, is the one who understands it’s okay to be different and leads them to a group of children who love having a toy that isn’t like all the others.
In some ways, I think we’re all like the toys in The Lucky Duck. We all have something that makes us different from everyone else. Whether it’s sickness, a chocolate addiction, the inability to stay away from the mall, or a love of comic books, we are all unique, and that’s a good thing! God loves who we are. He didn’t make a mistake when He created us. He delights in us!
One of my favorite psalms is Psalm 37. The most quoted verse in the entire psalm is verse 4, which says, “Delight yourselves in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart.” It’s a wonderful verse and there’s a powerful message there, but I think many times we stop at verse four and don’t read the rest of the psalm because halfway down in verses 23 and 24 there’s an even more powerful message. It says:
The steps of man are established by the Lord; and He delights in his way. When he falls, he shall not be hurled headlong; because the Lord is the One who holds his hand.
Stop and think about think about for a moment. God delights in YOU. He looks at you, sees the things which make you special, and He feels joy! He loves you so much, that no matter what happens in your life, God is walking beside you holding your hand. He doesn’t abandon you or ship you away because you’re different from the rest of society. You make God happy.
I don’t know about you, but that’s a foreign concept to me. When you’re faced with seeing how others react to your differences in a negative light, it’s hard to imagine making God happy. We’ve all heard that God loves us, and we get that to a certain extent. It’s almost like we believe God has to love us because it’s His job as our Father, but that doesn’t mean He has to like us. Yet miraculously, He does!
Imagine how your life would change if you could fully grasp the truth that not only does God love you, but He delights in you. Just like playing with a young child can bring you joy and laughter, you do the same to God.
It doesn’t matter that you’re different from everyone else. It’s what makes you special. It’s time to stop hiding who you are. Embrace who God made you to be. Be different. Be special. Be weird!
God loves you for being you. Isn’t it time you do the same?
“For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things He planned for us long ago.” ~ Ephesians 2:10 (NLT)
© September 24, 2015
I don’t know about you, but that’s a foreign concept to me. When you’re faced with seeing how others react to your differences in a negative light, it’s hard to imagine making God happy. We’ve all heard that God loves us, and we get that to a certain extent. It’s almost like we believe God has to love us because it’s His job as our Father, but that doesn’t mean He has to like us. Yet miraculously, He does!
Imagine how your life would change if you could fully grasp the truth that not only does God love you, but He delights in you. Just like playing with a young child can bring you joy and laughter, you do the same to God.
It doesn’t matter that you’re different from everyone else. It’s what makes you special. It’s time to stop hiding who you are. Embrace who God made you to be. Be different. Be special. Be weird!
God loves you for being you. Isn’t it time you do the same?
“For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things He planned for us long ago.” ~ Ephesians 2:10 (NLT)
© September 24, 2015
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