Be the YOU God Created YOU to Be

Be the YOU God Created YOU to Be
By Tamara “Tami” Blue
7/19/11

I ponder on things a lot with God. While pondering one day about two months ago a thought started stirring- about being the “you” that God created you to be. I have taken lately to telling folks- “you be you and I’ll be me and it will all be good”. What I am saying is that I cannot be you and you cannot be me and if we allow for each to be “who” God created us individually to be then things will go well for us.


We all have seen other people that we like, we like their style, the way they talk, the confidence they carry… You know those people who seem to have it all together? We want to emulate certain traits they possess thinking it will help us to be more likeable, more valuable, more interesting, maybe even more prosperous. There is no question that we as humans tend to mimic that which we are surrounded by, our parents, those who had a hand in rearing us. Our schooling has shaped the way we might think and approach life. There may have been one particular person that had great influence upon our lives and we’ve taken on some of their characteristics. This is not necessarily a bad thing; it is good to improve upon who we are especially if we have been living with negative traits. But we need to be the “us” God created “us” to be- not a cheap imitation of who He created someone else to be.


But through my life this has been at times a real challenge. Often I have felt as though I was not good enough to be the “me” that God created me to be. Growing up- most in my life seemed to have one complaint or another about me; I cried too much, I was too sensitive, my hair was red (as if that was a bad thing), I was not a boy, I wanted too much, I never seemed happy and never smiled enough, I was just like my mom, I was fat, I was stupid, etc… Rarely, did I hear a pleasant word about who I was; rarely did I hear words of affirmation or of value. It seemed that I was an inconvenience, a mistake, unwanted… This is what me as a child heard.


Those negative complaints are not the good positive makings to help a child/a person be the best they could be. Or to help me be the “me” that God created me to be. I felt I had little value, I was disliked and unwanted and even a feeling of being unlovable. From my family, to my school mates and friends, acquaintances… someone always seemed to pick out a flaw in me that they disliked.


How many others out there might have grown up feeling much the same? How many others have struggled with their identity, with who they were growing up and who they are now and who they were created to be. There is much talk about our culture having an identity crisis. I know for me through my life that has been true. But God’s still small voice inside of me always spoke the same message over and over and is the reason I am alive today; “You were created for much more than you are experiencing, I created you for greater than this”. His words to me would come at the darkest moments and be the rope that helped pull me out of the darkest pits. Those words always left an impression of being destined for greatness. His words spoken to my hurting spirit left me with a deep knowing that I was created for greatness, for His purposes which were grander than the darkness I was enduring.


Among my close friends and family now they view me as outgoing, fun loving, silly, caring, encouraging, etc… Yet, they also know that I can also be quite serious and also bold depending on the moment and situation. But in larger gatherings there is still that side of me that is shy, somewhat uncomfortable, reserved and stands at a distance watching and testing the waters. This is the part of me that is still a work in progress- the part of me that is still learning to be comfortable in my own skin and the part of me that is learning to be the “me” that God created me to be. There are aspects of me that aren’t perfect and or ideal to others still to this day. And, I still deal with insecurity at times and not always happy with the me that I am. I get nervous around new people or in situations that I am not used to and or people I don’t know. In those times I might say something that might come out oddly in my nervous attempt to make conversation. I walk away criticizing myself and feeling foolish. It is not the “me” that God created, but the “me” that the world created when I was told I was of no value, not good enough… There are still aspects of me that need to be refined and gently molded by the master creator, my Heavenly Father.


Again, as a child and even into adulthood I have been told I was/am too sensitive. This has always grated on me; I’ve always disliked this remark. I know it is truth but it does not have to be a negative. I’ve always had a knowing that I was created this way for a purpose. It is in how I function in it that can be the problem, but not that I am sensitive. Before my late teen years I was teased for having red hair. This teasing aided in me learning to really dislike my hair color. My hair color was different than most and caused me to stand out, kids made fun of it and it made me feel somewhat ostracized from the rest. But after high school something changed, people started remarking favorably in regards to my medium- auburn “red” hair. As I got into Beauty/Cosmetology school I came to realize just how rare my hair color was and how difficult it was to mimic in the salon. At a certain point I started to get many favorable remarks from men, women, older folks… It was a needed boost for this gal and helped me to appreciate one aspect of “me” that God created. Sadly though, by the time I really came to appreciate my hair color- I started noticing the first gray hair (sigh…). We must learn to appreciate certain aspects of ourselves before it’s too late, fades away and or is gone with age or by unforeseen circumstances.


There might be aspects about me that are simply the way I am created to be that others will always find fault in. But I have learned that sometimes they are also a positive and purposed. I might be too pale skinned for some, I might not have the perfect figure, I might be too sensitive at times, I might not be the most intelligent in the bunch, my grammar might not be perfect, my speech may not always be articulate, I might laugh out in joy too loud for some peoples liking, I might not dress the most tailored, elegantly, and or stylish as some, I might not have all man’s credentials & degrees that seem to be needed in order to be valued by man… I might not be what others want me to be, but that is okay. I am learning to be the “me” that God created me to be. I am learning that not only did He form me, has chosen me, that His Son died for me… but that He actually loves, values, cares about & for, wants, desires, and delights in me! He sits in Heaven and with the angels and hosts of Heaven roots me on to His upward calling. He is for me and not against me. The world may hate me, dislike me, may not be approving or affirming of me- But my God in Heaven is and that is such good news and what the gospel is all about! Certain things have helped to shape me, my ideals, and the way I am. Those things may not have all been positive but God can use all things to His glory and for our callings in Him.


I want you to know that God formed “you” before the foundations of the world (Proverbs 8:22-23;25) and also in your mother’s womb (Psalm 139:13;15). Not only did He have a part in creating “you” but He chose you (John 15:19). When the world say’s you are unlovely, unwanted, undesirable, not pleasing, not successful, etc… know that His Word say’s that He created you just the way you are and He has chosen you!


You are authentic, there is no one else in the world that looks like you, has the same finger prints as you, has the same moles, wrinkles, distinguishable smile, characteristics and or attributes as you! You are unique, divinely created and there will ever only be one you. How incredible is that? I cannot be you, and you cannot be me. We can pretend for a while and try to mimic another but eventually it will fail because we are not being the true us that we were created to be. We will only become a cheap imitation of someone else and cheapen what God has created and chosen to be unique, unlike any other. Look beyond the faults you see in yourself, look beyond where you are currently in your emotions and or where you have been. Look beyond to the horizon where God sits waiting for you to discover the unique you that He created you to be. There is only one you and He is eagerly waiting for you to discover all that He created you to be.


One positive aspect of who I am as God Himself created me to be is as an Encourager/Exhorter. This is the primary gifting. I have many gifts from God, but this is my primary calling that becomes clearer over time. It is a gift that is second nature to me and something I don’t have to try hard at. So that being said, I want to encourage you today- to be the YOU that God in Heaven created YOU to be. I want to encourage you to take all the things that others say they don’t like about you- to God. Inquire of Him about those aspects of who you are. Are they who God created you to be? Seek Him, learn who you are in Him, let Him show you the unique you that He created you to be. Even in the negative statements that others make about you- you can find God’s truth about how God created you. Go to Him; let Him teach you to learn to use those aspects that others see as negative about you- to His ultimate positive use and glory.