I wish it was as easy to practice what you preach as it is to tell others to practice what you preach. In everything I've said about this blog, I've shared my desire to help other women find satisfaction in who they are in Christ, in how God made them. "God has a special purpose for everyone," I said--and I meant it. It's just hard to apply everything I say to my own life.
Last night I was struggling with a touch of jealousy. Bubbly, bright, cheerful personalities are often so much more popular and noticed than the quiet, steady, levelheaded personalities. And sure, I'm an introvert--but I have to admit that sometimes, I wish I were in the spotlight more. Sometimes, I wish that I had that "magnetic personality."
Then, with the help of a couple friends and one of my sisters, I was reminded that just being who God created me to be is what matters. I need to look at who I am in Christ and be encouraged by that. And I know that, in Christ, I am loved. I am His daughter. I am one of a kind, and despite all of my faults (and believe me, there are many!), God still bestows such great, amazing grace on me. He sent His Son to die for my sins--and if He loved me enough to pay such a great price for who I was then, I can rest assured that He loves me enough to help me now.
I'm not saying that we should be who we would be without the guidance of God's Word. But we are free to be who God created us to be--and He created us in His image, which means that He created us to be like Him. First and foremost, God created us to glorify Him (which you can do no matter what your personality). He created us to love and serve Him by loving and serving others (again, which you can do with any type of personality). He created us to submit to His will and follow the paths He has laid out for us (and once again... you get the picture). Any type of personality can be who God created them to be. We simply have to trust Him... and obey what He tells us to do in His Word.
So, to wrap up this "sermon" that I didn't exactly mean to preach, don't be afraid to be who God created you to be. All that's important is that you follow His will for your life--and don't worry about what others might think. In the end, it doesn't matter. All that matters is that we have followed God's will for us, and that we know we are loved by Him.