May 2021
Let me start off with a story about a teenage girl trying to follow society’s standards. She wore what she was supposed to wear, she ate what she was supposed to eat, and she was friends with the people she was supposed to be friends with. But she wasn’t happy. She tried to perfect what others wanted of her by continually pleasing them, even when that got in the way of being herself. She started to despise herself because she lost sight of who she was.
A teenage boy nearby lived a similar life of playing the right sports, getting the right girl, and going to the right school. But he wasn’t happy. No matter what he did, like the girl, he lost sight of what really mattered and succumbed to feeling worthless. His friends moved on, he wasn’t cool anymore, and he didn’t know who he was without these things defining him. Nothing the boy or the girl did satisfied them. Nothing they did made them feel whole.
And do you know why nothing about this life and these norms that society says will fill that empty hole in you works? Because that hole can’t be filled by earthly things. We were created to live life, not follow it. We weren’t meant to follow certain trends or gain a certain someone’s attention. We were meant to live life well. What does living life well mean? It means living life to reach your full potential.
I think the hardest part about living is living life as yourself because no one else has lived the life we are currently living so we have no way of knowing if we are doing life right and that makes us scared. Scared of failure, disappointment, and not being recognized for who we are. We look to the world and to other people to find a standard to live up to. To find someone we can be like. But there is no other person capable of the things you are capable of. If you’re chasing someone else’s potential, you’ll never reach your own. And that’s the bottom line. Every single person is different. Every choice you make can either reflect who you are or mirror someone else. Originality is branded as being something bad. But if we aren’t living original, who’s life are we living?
Why is it so hard to be the first? It’s hard because every single person has to be their own first. They have to live life by their own example and not by anybody else’s. They have to focus on what they are good at and what their heart wants and not what the world tells them they should or shouldn’t do.
So how do we fit into a society while standing out and living life the way it was meant to be lived? We can’t. We can’t because society is wrong. Society tells us to copy other people to fit into a social order, but we can’t do that because classifying people was not Gods intent. God created everyone with their own originality because the purpose of living life is to learn to love God and love yourself. The only person who can guide you on becoming you is God. So look at yourself. Who are you becoming?
Are you trying to fit in at school and be like the popular kids? Are you trying a new sport because you want that certain someone to like you? Are you wearing that outfit and changing your style because you want to be like that person on Instagram? Are you starting to act differently because being a star on YouTube sounds better to you than living life originally? Look around. Look at your motives. Why are you changing the person God made you to be? He handcrafted you from clay. Molded you into the person you are today. But how much have you changed from outside influences? How much are you willing to change?
No matter how hard you try to be like that person you look up to, you’ll never be them. And that hits hard for some people. You will never be like them. Because you are you. A person with so much potential, so much beauty, and so much worth that you are denying yourself by chasing after other people and the things they have. Didn’t God say He would provide you with everything you need? Don’t you trust Him? Be yourself. Be-YOU-tiful.
Don’t try and copy the behaviors and customs of this world because it will never ever work. Learn to love yourself and stand out in a world that screams for you to blend in. Do you know why the world wants you to be like her or be like him? It’s because the devil is afraid of you reaching your full potential. You won’t just reach full potential for yourself, you will light the way for others to follow. Imagine a world where no one is afraid of being themselves!
I get it. Being yourself opens the door to judgement. But you need to realize that God is above that. He has already won. The devil is the one talking through people. Ignore it. Yes, it’s hard to ignore judgement. But the reward for reaching your full potential is way greater than anything anyone could ever say.
Let me end on this note. The hardest part about living is living originally and beautifully just the way you were made to be. No one else is like you in the past, present, and future. Don’t waste the opportunity to live life in a way that inspires others. Don’t just live, thrive. Thriving is something so few get the chance to do. The most amazing and influential people didn’t hide their talents, they let them flourish. So live your life with intention. Live life as yourself, not as a mirror of someone else. There’s only one you on this earth and there will only ever be one you. So use what you have been given to lead others to Christ and to honor God with your life.
EMILY DICKINSON 