I love soliciting opinions — do you like this dress? Which picture do you like the best? What about this article I wrote?
Of course, I like opinions when they match up to what I want to hear.
I want you to love my dress. Like my picture and tell me how my article made you laugh or cry (depending on what I was writing).
This need for you to like me can be a HUGE stumbling block in my life. Okay, confession time – it HAS been a huge stumbling block.
I spent a quite a few years trying to fit in. It was like an olympic event for me (and yes, I’m on olympic overload and that’s why I’m using this analogy) — and I was determined to win! I wanted to be JUST LIKE everyone else. I wanted to FIT in. I didn’t want to be different. I would wear the ‘right’ clothes. Say the ‘right’ things. Have the ‘right’ past.
I could buy the clothes.
I could change my talk.
But I had to lie about my past.
And I did.
I made it look better than it was. In reality, my past is a mess of wrong choices and some very bad mistakes, but it’s also filled with incredible blessings and God’s amazing provision and protection.
When I lied about my past I missed my chance to share about God’s great redemption and all those blessings! Sure, I hid my mistakes, but I also hid the story of God’s provision and protection. In my desire to fit in I missed the chance to STAND OUT for God.
Every one of us has a story — and if you’re a follower of Jesus then you have a redemption story. And this story glorifies God’s saving grace, His amazing love, and His incredible forgiveness!
I let my desire to fit in — my identity crisis – impact God’s plan for my life. God has redeemed all those wasted years and it’s to His glory that I now walk with Him. That’s my story.
I don’t fit in.
But that’s okay.
I stand out for God.
What about you?
Are you fitting in or standing out?
me too, Mary! It is a hard thing to look different, talk different, read different books, have different political opinions, etc. etc. Jesus asks us not to fit in, but to stand out! Amen to that!