Being You

I hope each of you awakes each morning thinking, “It is so great to be me!”

God made you to be you. He put you where you are in order to serve the people that surround you and to learn from those people. Of all the situations in life, the situation you are in is the very best situation for you.

The problem is that we look around at other people and begin to doubt God. Surely He made a mistake! We should be as energetic as a friend down the street or as pretty as the lady in the grocery store or able to sing like the next door neighbor. We think life would be so much better for us if our children behaved like our sister’s children or that our husband was as considerate as our best friend’s husband. We think we aren’t as capable as the friend who owns the boutique or as the cousin with the Master’s degree. We cower and hide the talents God has given us because we deem them not as good as what everyone else has. What a mistake. Just thinking those thoughts keeps us from discovering what we are supposed to be doing. But more than that thinking that way chokes the joy right out of life!

In 1 Peter 4:10 the King James Bible reads, “As every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.” That same verse in the NRSV Bible reads, “Like good stewards of the manifold grace of God, serve one another with whatever gift each of you has received.” And the NIV reads, “”Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms."

Between these three translations, you can’t miss the message. Whatever God has given YOU, use it to bless the lives of others. Don’t fret about whether you have more or less or would be better off with something different. The truth is that you have all you need to do what you were sent here to do. So USE it. If you are a good listener, listen. If you have a sense of humor, laugh. If you have a beautiful smile, share it. If you see these wonderful things in others instead of coveting write a note and thank them for making your life better by sharing. If you are healthy, serve others who aren’t. If you struggle with relationships, ask God what you are to learn from it. The list goes on and on. There is a reason and a purpose for everything. Don’t waste time fretting about it. Learn from it. Grow from it. Use it to bless others!It really is great to be you!