“Be yourself.”
If you've ever seen a Disney princess movie, you've probably heard this saying before in one way or another. Also, you’ve probably noticed that Disney princesses have it all figured out. They are always true to themselves and to their hearts. They follow their dreams and most end up with a handsome prince and a happily ever after.
But what about real life? What does it look like to “be yourself ” and “fit in” in the real world? The world where mermaids don't lose their voices and pumpkins stay…well, they stay big squashy pumpkins? A world where not only do we find it difficult to truly be ourselves but we sometimes even try to hide the real us?
And what about happily ever after? Do we get one? If so, why does there seem to be so much heartbreak in the world?
Through these next two posts, I plan to talk about both of those things. In this half of “Happy Ever After?”, I want to talk about truly being yourself and the difficulties we sometimes face when we’re trying to fit in.
Part 1 ~ Being Yourself & Fitting In
Here is the million dollar question we have all asked ourselves one time or another in our lives: “How do I be myself?”
In the world we live in (especially being a TCK) it can be hard to be yourself, and a lot of times we don't have a clear view of what “being ourselves” even looks like. How do I be myself when I don't even know who I am? Where do I fit in?
We often find it hard to label ourselves like what group we fit in.
For me personally, I found myself dealing with mental dilemmas that went something like this:
~Hands: “You like art, so you must be an art kid. That's how you’ll present yourself. You like art.”
-Legs: “Hold on, but you like sports! Does that make you a sporty kid then?”
-Mouth: “Wait, no! You’re musical! You love singing, Willow! You’re a music kid, remember?!”
Although my hands, legs, and mouth never actually argued with each other, I did struggle with which category fit me; how I could present myself; and which one was “my thing”?
How do we be ourselves, if who we are doesn't seem to fit with any of the world’s categories?
Whenever we find ourselves thinking that, we have to remember this.
We don't live as though we are part of this world. We were created for something better. It doesn't matter if who you truly are is never truly understood by anyone. It's okay to be gifted, skilled, and/or passionate in many different things, but never really own a brand sticker saying: “THIS is what you're good at! THIS is what you are passionate about!” God didn’t create you that way. Although, if He did, then that's awesome! God has something in store for your passion and talent, but if you don't seem to fit in anywhere, that's okay too.
Being yourself doesn't mean you have to be like everyone else. That's actually the opposite of what it means.
Be who God made you to be. Don't let the outside world tell you that you have to squeeze yourself into a certain shaped mold and have a certain talent or skill. God made us with edges. Edges that don't always fit into molds.
Now I don't know exactly what being yourself looks like for everyone because I don’t know every single one of you personally. But I do know that ”Being yourself” means this:
~Live in confidence of who God has made you to be. Don't be shy to have multiple talents, and don’t be ashamed if you don't have anything that really seems to stand out to you at the moment. God will use you in outstanding ways that you may not see coming. So live knowing God loves you for you not the mold the world tries to put you in.~
Until next time!
~Willow
Comments