Be YOU!
Posted by simplisticthoughts , Sunday, July 27, 2014 8:17 AM
Expectations are everywhere. No matter who you are, where you come from or what group(s) you identify with, expectations are always present. It can be hard to fill so many shoes and put on different faces everyday. Expectations are not necessarily bad, they can allow us to be challenged and grow but sometimes they can cause a heavy weight on our shoulders. Being a part of any community, you're going to find yourself trying to live up to some standard and many times, being a part of a church family isn't any different.
I don't think churches (most of them, anyway) are trying to be destructive when they place expectations on their members. Especially in places where people may look to you as a role model, mentor or example, it is not unreasonable for a church to say, "hey, this is how our church wants to be represented..." Considering the fact our actions speak louder than words, it is important to be vigilant about maintaining a lifestyle that aligns with what you believe. However, no one is perfect and we are all hypocrites from time to time. Now here is what expectations are NOT supposed to do: conform you and mold you into someone you are not. Sure, things about you may fall to the wayside as you pursue Christ, but that's not the church working in you, it's your relationship with God that's developing you.
The more I found myself trying to fit a mold and conform to a popular consensus, the less successful I was. I have realized the more I just am the person who God created me to be, the more favor I find and the less frustrated I become. People are drawn to authenticity, not to a fabrication. You don't have to be anything other than yourself. The passions that drive you, the things that inspire you, the things you're interested in - are all things that you should be using to minister to others. It's almost as if you don't have to try because it is flowing out of who you are naturally. You don't have to do things a specific way because your peers or colleagues do it one way. Use what YOU know! Use your own creativity! I have spoken of this several times, but when I think of this concept of changing the world out of who you are, I think of Moses in the Bible. Many already know the story, but here you have this man who grew up in privilege because he was drawn from the water. He watched day in and day out with pain in his heart as his own people were enslaved, until he could not take it anymore and he reacted by killing a soldier who was beating a Hebrew slave. Out of fear, he fled and eventually established himself in a new town and could have lived the rest of his days in mediocrity. Until one day, God led him out of his mediocre day-to-day, isolated him and then commissioned him to save the very people his heart broke for. Of course God would help him fulfill the task, but together, they would change the lives of people forever.
Think about it, out of who Moses was, God fulfilled his passions. Moses could have settled with his life in Midian and to be honest, probably would have died there somewhat contently, but he would have never lived out his purpose. A lot of people miss the mark in life because they settle for what everyone else is doing or wants them to do. God gives us the desires of OUR hearts, not someone else's heart for us. Be bold about who you are and represent it proudly. Each person represents a different facet of the church universal, so you were meant to add and when you add something that means you are bringing something to the table that wasn't already there. You, as you are, were meant to add - not conform. BE YOU because you are beautiful, original and have something to offer!
