Step Back, Let Go

          I've got to stop taking myself so seriously. I mean, what does it really matter what people think of me? If I smile like me, talk like me, laugh like me, joke like me, and act like me, why should I care what other people think? I make funny faces when I talk, I can't express myself without hand motions, I tend to fidget when I am trying to explain something of great importance, I make grammatical and spelling errors in letters, emails, and posts (not for lack of trying! Trust me, I read over things a hundred times and still miss stuff!), I wear glasses whenever I watch a movie, I love reading aloud to myself, I eat cranberries with my mashed potatoes on Thanksgiving, I climb trees better than any girl would like to admit, I talk too much (?), I am more country than most expect, I am a sinner, and I like to belt out worship songs when no one else is around (sadly, most of the time there are people near by that I am not aware of). Wow, this is me. A bad thing? No. I'm not proud of the sinner in me. I'm not exactly excited about the funny faces when I talk, but to be honest, it isn't hurting anything!

(If she only knew!)

 

 

          Please don't try to be someone else. Yes, you can be the new you. The new creation in Christ. But don't fret about the quirks that God created you with. They are all part of you. Your abilities and gifts are unique to God's plan. Hey, you never know, maybe someday someone will fall in love with that crooked smile of yours, or those silly expressions you make. Know that someone already has fallen in love with you and your "problems". Know that the one who created them has had his eye on you ever since he had the blueprint of you drawn up in his magnificently sovereign mind. God is watching you, praying over you, and planning for you. He has written your story, all you have to do is watch as the pages unfold before you. Praise God that he has a plan for that strong voice, those funny jokes, or that beautiful laugh of yours!

          Pray that Christ would show you ways you can turn your "quirks" into his glory. You will find that the less you try to squash your true personality, that it starts to become more and more beautiful. Please don't be dismayed about the little things! Worry more about your sinful nature, try to fight against it. Don't expend your energy battling something that God wants you to have and keep. Can you think of anything more futile than that?  Stop taking yourself so seriously. Step back, and let go. Guess who is right beneath you? Christ is there to catch you when you stumble.

          I promise to stop taking myself so seriously...(did I really just say that?) Now you have to as well :) There is nothing more freeing than letting go and saying, "God, I am all yours. Take me and remake me." I'm not saying that you should ask Him to make you taller, shorter, thinner, or smaller, but ask him to change you from the inside out. Once your heart has been washed with the blood of the Lamb, you will be forever changed. Forever new.

         I believe that God wanted me to write this post as much or more for myself than for any of you. I am so thankful that God has been able to use y'all (my dearest readers) to work in my life! Thank you so much for your support, prayers, and comments!

Not so seriously (in a good way), but always truly yours,

~Rachel