What Defines You?
I have a friend who is a beautiful, talented, vibrant woman. She is always so full of enthusiasm and life. She's just consistently positive and passionate, but not everyone embraces her positive personality. In fact, one Monday morning at her office, she entered the conference room for an early morning meeting when she overheard a few co-workers talking about her. One person said, "She is just so chipper and encouraging. Sometimes I want to say to her, 'Are you for real?' Oh, no. Here she comes. I just don't know if I can take her perkiness this morning."
They didn't realize she had heard every word and she didn't say anything at the time, but those words really wounded her heart. Instead of going into that meeting with her positive attitude and sparkling personality, she timidly took her seat and remained quiet and withdrawn the entire time.
Not only was her mindset different for that meeting, but she also started doubting the very essence of who she was. She began adjusting her overall approach and personality to counteract the words she had overheard. She was allowing her coworkers' opinions to begin to redefine her.
I had noticed the change in my friend, so one day I asked her what was going on. She told me about overhearing her co-workers' comments and how she was trying to tone down her personality so she would be more accepted by the others in the office. I listened for a while, and then I said to her, "Are you kidding me? You are a bright, out-going woman of God! Your heavenly Father gave you that personality, and He uses it to influence a lot of people for good. Don't you dare change who you are simply because your co-workers can't appreciate your God-given gifts." My friend instantly realized that she was letting her co-workers' disapproval change the very fiber of who God had created her to be.
Do you ever find yourself doing the same thing—changing who you are in order to be accepted by others? Maybe, like my friend, someone in your life said hurtful things about you. But just because somebody says something, doesn't make it true! You don't have to be defined by anyone or anything but the Word of God which says that you are the head and not the tail! You are above only and not beneath! You can have full confidence today knowing that you are made in the image of Almighty God, and you are free to be the unique individual He created you to be!
They didn't realize she had heard every word and she didn't say anything at the time, but those words really wounded her heart. Instead of going into that meeting with her positive attitude and sparkling personality, she timidly took her seat and remained quiet and withdrawn the entire time.
Not only was her mindset different for that meeting, but she also started doubting the very essence of who she was. She began adjusting her overall approach and personality to counteract the words she had overheard. She was allowing her coworkers' opinions to begin to redefine her.
I had noticed the change in my friend, so one day I asked her what was going on. She told me about overhearing her co-workers' comments and how she was trying to tone down her personality so she would be more accepted by the others in the office. I listened for a while, and then I said to her, "Are you kidding me? You are a bright, out-going woman of God! Your heavenly Father gave you that personality, and He uses it to influence a lot of people for good. Don't you dare change who you are simply because your co-workers can't appreciate your God-given gifts." My friend instantly realized that she was letting her co-workers' disapproval change the very fiber of who God had created her to be.
Do you ever find yourself doing the same thing—changing who you are in order to be accepted by others? Maybe, like my friend, someone in your life said hurtful things about you. But just because somebody says something, doesn't make it true! You don't have to be defined by anyone or anything but the Word of God which says that you are the head and not the tail! You are above only and not beneath! You can have full confidence today knowing that you are made in the image of Almighty God, and you are free to be the unique individual He created you to be!