Who Are You?

Being a more reflective type person, I find myself constantly digging deeper, looking for meaning in things-maybe sometimes to a fault, reading what may NOT be there (assuming). I believe nothing is by mistake or accident-yes, we make mistakes but God is all knowing and He has planned accordingly-Thank God! He sees where we are headed. What a patient and forgiving God we serve!

This has been a tough week in many ways, but I find myself incredibly thankful. Years ago, when the stress of life would overwhelm me, I would find myself closed up, shut down-much like a turtle who quickly retracts into the shell when danger is around. I didn't allow myself to be vulnerable. Wanting to represent the Lord as a faithful follower, who was always trusting, hoping, rejoicing even in the tough times, I didn't show or share my heart or thoughts with others.

Along our journey with God He is constantly pruning us to be more and more like Him, developing that trust and love. These past several years now, He certainly has been pruning and refining me!! I have had to really examine Who am I? What do I stand for? What will I not stand for? Is it okay to be weak or scared? Like a baby learning to take her first steps, I feel clumbsy. Learning how to get out from behind the shell involves trust, patience, honesty and love with self and others. I get nowhere if I stay in the shell. In this Room for one, it gets very lonely.

So, who are you? Are you willing to be someone you are not to please another? To fit in? Do you recognize your uniqueness? God made each one of us fearfully and wonderfully."I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Your works are wonderful, I know that full well." Psalm 139:14 He did not make a mistake with me or you! We are each designed for a specific purpose that only you can fill. Do you ever wish you could be a little more....(blank)...whatever yours is? Pretty, patient, confident, compassionate, trusting, joyful, creative, giving, wealthy, smarter, and on and on? None of us are perfect although I am confident there are those who would have no problem saying they are.

Not the case for the rest of us. I am probably the hardest critic of myself. Feel free to tell me what you think I have done wrong and it probably won't be a surprise to me. I am hard on myself-part of the low-self-esteem and the strive for perfectionism. ..old strive I might say with thanksgiving!! It's about Excellence now! Yeah!

The longer I walk with the Lord the more I understand Him and the more I understand Him, the more I learn about Him and the more I learn about Him I realize who He is and as I learn more of Who He is, I begin to see His heart and when I see His heart...there is healing and Love. It's glorious and beautiful. His heart bled for ours. His heart broke so that your heart and mine could be restored. Wow...that is love! Oh how He loves us.

So for me to try to be someone else, that would be going outside of His will for He created me to be me! There is always room for improvement and sanctification, refining and maturing so I am not saying there is no change; however I am careful to be true to who I am and not attempt to change me into something or someone I am not.

More than likely you know me personally, some longer than others. I wonder how you would describe me..scarey thought. Recently on Facebook, the status suggestion was to ask for 20 people to give a one word description of you and I thought wow-I could never do that! But it would be interesting at the same time. Wouldn't that be cool to get like a report card to know your progress. What kind of friend, wife, family member, Mom, etc you had been that month...fun but I am so glad that God's grace covers it all for me so I can live one day at a time just doing the best at being me that I can.

Who am I? Hmmm... Take a minute and ask this of yourself...Who are you? Are you the "You' God created you to be? Are you retracted in your shell, afraid of being "you" for fear of rejection or inadequancy in the eyes of others? Have you allowed the circumstances of your past to define who you are? Yes, they make up part of who we are, your life is your testimony, but have you allowed it to define you and keep you there in the circumstance? Have you fully admitted your hurts-those you have committed and those committed against you? Have you handed your heart over to your Loving Father to hug you and fill you in amazing grace?

Maybe you are thinking, I have made bad choices years ago or even just TODAY!!! How can God use me or accept me-I'm a mess?!? I don't know who I am anymore. I keep doing that which I do not want to do...how do I stop?

"Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us. You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." Romans 5:1-8

By His grace you are healed. Because of His Gift of Love thousands of years ago, you were redeemed by the blood of Jesus Christ. If you recognize Him as your Lord, Redeemer and Father, ask for His grace to cover your sins and trust Him with your heart, then you will be on the right path to healing. You are forgiven. You have been made whole in Him. You are complete.

Change can happen overnight but sometimes change is a process. Your motives and your willingness makes a difference in the process. You know what, I am not going to wake up one day and decide to totally change who I am so that I am accepted by those I desire to please. The only person I am willing to change for is God! And He accepts me just as I am, the good and the bad, but He does desire for me to transform into His likeness, but still being the root of who He made me to be.

What if we each wore a t-shirt claiming "As Is". Wouldn't that take the pressure off trying to be something we are not? At the same time, not expecting other's to be that which they are not! Just complete acceptance of who we each are in Christ. WOW! I often tell my kids, Can't we just all get along? Recognizing the different ways we express our anger, our joy, our love. We are not cookie-cut by God. Every single person has specific and unique design and in the differences we are connected in the common bond of the Family of God. It takes our many parts to be the body. So where do you fit in? Are playing the role of "foot" when God made you a "hand?"
There are certain things I just am not and I will not pretend to be...if we do, will will be met with much frustration and failure.

So now, it is my focus to be who God wants, and I will not change the person I am but I will do this...I will try harder with God's help, to be a better friend to you, a better Wife to my husband, a better Mother to my kids, a stronger more faithful follower of Christ. May my attitudes, my motives, my emotions, my desires, my mind change to bring Him all glory and honor.

"Lord Jesus, thank You for Your patience and Your grace. Help me to be the woman after Your heart that You created me to be, fulfilling the plan assigned specificially for me-Michele. Guide each Believer in You to live fully in complete surrender to You. May we please You alone, living not for ourselves or the pleasing of others, but for You God, our strong tower, our Refuge and Strength. By Your spirit we ARE healed, forgiven yesterday, today and tomorrow. Thank You for reminding me that You have already been in my tomorrows as You go before me. I trust You. In Jesus Name which holds all power and strength, grace and love, Amen!!"