Uniquely You :)

We deemed our trip to town a “Special Sister Day.”  By declaring it special, it gave Chip and I a good enough excuse to visit one of our favorite little shops called Dittiers for a much desired goodie.  The day was horribly cold as we settled ourselves at a table to warm up with a nice cup of frozen yogurt - the perfect thing for such a chilly evening.  It was a Tuesday night which was when Dittiers’ always held their special price for frozen yogurt, and so, Tuesdays were always crowded with the local collage students from the nearby dorms.  As we sat there, enjoying ourselves and shivering from our cold treat, we started looking around at all the people surrounding us that were near our own age.  We gave each other a look and then Chip said, “Is is just me, or do all the girls look….. The same?”  I laughed.  Once again we had thought the same thing at the same time, as close sisters often do.

“hmm… Let’s see…” I said,  “Same style clothing, same make-up technique, identical hairstyles… Yup!  All the girls look the same!”

Obviously, every girl in the room closely followed the fashions that were most popular in their college, leaving them all looking similar to one another.  Now of course, I would not think they looked the same if I actually came to know any of them personally, but just to look at the group of girls, there was nothing unique… Nothing that stood out and made each one different from the rest.  They were all striving to “Fit in.”   

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Now there’s nothing wrong with wanting to fit in.  That desire is built into every person and especially in girls who tend to be more relationship oriented.  The problem is, our goal of “fitting in” can be taken to far.  


Now, I’m not out to bash popular fashions. You yourself may be striving to fit in, and for the record I would like to say, I have been there.  Of course, I’ve always wanted to feel like I belonged to the group of people that surrounded me, but it was something that I really strived for in my mid-to-late teens.  The longing to feel accepted is sometimes such an overwhelming, driving force that can make us spend hours in front of the mirror or tons of time, and money picking out the right outfit that will bring approval from those around us.  The problem is… It never really works.  Even the most popular girls often feel am ache inside that tells them that they are still not good enough, that they are still not truly accepted.  


So what’s the secret to feeling accepted? That is a question the whole world is searching to find the answer to.  The problem is, people are asking the wrong question.  Instead of asking, how can I get them to like me? How can I become a part of that circle?  How can I feel accepted?  Try asking, how can I bless that person? That girl looks lonely, maybe she could use a friend? There’s that person that’s always mean to me… I wonder what makes them mean? I wonder what kind of a home they were raised in that caused them to become the way they are?  

By asking these questions, you have suddenly turned your motives from “Me” and “I” to the people around you.  So how is this possible, especially when there are people around us who are cruel and make us feel worthless?  It is impossible on our own but if you have Jesus Christ in your heart, it IS possible.  Having Jesus Christ as a part of your life is the only way to have true fulfillment.  Now, it’s not like you invite Jesus to be a part of your life and *POOF!* “Wow! I feel like I‘m worth something now!”

Finding our identity is Christ is a life-long process, but turning our hearts away from “Me” and onto others around us, being a true friend and caring more about others more than we do about ourselves - that is a very good place to start. 


~ Missy

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