The bluebells have returned. Emerging from rocky soil as if breaking into the light took no effort at all. They hang their huddled heads—embarrassed by their brilliance. It seems they’re not unlike most of us: bashful about the precise attributes that make us remarkably unique in this world.
Some part of me wants to tell the bluebells, “Your color is what makes you extraordinary. Embrace yourself. Don’t hide it.”
In the same way, I want to tell the friend who hides her gifts, “The parts of you that make you feel different are your gifts to the world. Don’t hide them.”
Embrace Yourself the Way God Made You
C.S. Lewis spoke these words to a group of young adults in 1944:
“Until you conquer the fear of being an outsider, an outsider you will remain.”
If Lewis is right, then how do we conquer the fear of being left out and embrace ourselves just as we are?
Here are a few thoughts about how to embrace yourself the way God made you:
1. You can embrace yourself as you are because your uniqueness is your gift to the world.
God creates no two vessels exactly the same way. You are the way you are so that you might complete the purpose set before you in this world. No part of you is an accident, from the way you look to the things you love to do.
Your passion for sci-fi novels, knitting, golf, or fly fishing might feel a little weird. Don’t hide it from the world. God put this passion in your heart to reach out to others who love the same things.
Your crazy hair, imperfect complexion, or awkward introversion might feel like a deficit in life. It’s not. God made you like this so you can reach out to others who have similar insecurities. He wants you to learn to depend on him when you feel weak and insufficient.
You don’t need to hide these parts of yourself. Embrace them. They are your gift to the world.
2. Your calling is to focus on what you can give, not what you can receive.
The writer of Proverbs reminds us: “He who waters will himself be watered” (Proverbs 11:25).
We are called to give ourselves away for the sake of others. We all face the temptation to look inward more than we look outward; however, shifting our focus helps us fulfill God’s purpose.
As we embrace the way God created us, we will be compelled to offer our authentic selves to others, and this is always a gift.
3. When you feel like an outsider, remember you’re wildly loved just as you are, and nothing can take this love away from you.
You are loved by the God who created you. He loves you with your imperfections, your weaknesses, your idiosyncrasies, and your failures. He loves you when others reject you and misunderstand you.
God loves you so much that he demonstrated his love for you through the ultimate act of sacrifice: the suffering and death of his only Son (see Romans 5:8).
When you don’t feel loved by him, the sacrifice on the cross is still real. It is lasting proof that goes beyond feelings and emotions. Cling to this truth when you need the reminder that he loves you.
You can embrace yourself because the Creator of the world embraces you.
4. You can create your own inner circle of kindness and compassion.
We can be the change we want to see in the world when we live by this principle: “Above all, keep fervent in your love for one another, because love covers a multitude of sins” (1 Peter 4:8).
Walk into crowded rooms and try to fit in, and you will always be an outsider.
Walk into crowded rooms and look for someone to love; embrace yourself just the way you are, and you will forget all about yourself. In the process, you will find yourself in the middle of the only inner circle that really matters: The inner circle of those who live to love others.
Embrace Yourself As You Are and Be a Gift
Above all else, remember this: God made you the way you are for a specific reason, and you need to be just like this to fulfill the purpose God has for your life.
This is an updated edition of a post originally published on Stacey Pardoe
Featured Image by Leon Seierlein on Unsplash
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