Have YOU Met YOU? (Part 1)
“They will love you girl, just be yourself!”
I was given this advice by a friend after I expressed angst surrounding a dinner I was invited to. This dinner was with a group of women I had not met before. These women were all successful and accomplished and my first response was to compare myself to them (I have gone through a lot of self-healing and the challenging work to overcome this self-doubting, self-sabotaging mindset through prayer, counseling, and coaching. Stick around we will tackle all these topics in future blogs). Anyways, my friend assured me that I had nothing to worry about, though the social anxiety I had been dealing with since I was a kid said differently. Her words of encouragement were short and honestly a little cliché she said, “They will love you girl, just be yourself.”
How many times has this phrase been said to you? “Be Yourself.”
We often see this phrase as a nice saying, a good gesture from a friend or family member to boost our confidence in a moment.
But let’s pause and rest here for a moment, ok. I don’t think many of us even know who we are. (Insert that “melting” emoji), How can YOU be YOU when YOU don’t even know who YOU are?
Let’s pause here for a little while longer.
Ask yourself the question, “Who am I?”
No, who are YOU really?
Go ahead and list out some answers. I’ll wait…
No, I am not talking about what you do, as in your skills, talents, or occupation. I am not talking about your titles or your functions on this Earth. For example, the titles and functions of wife, girlfriend, mother, friend, entrepreneur, etc. These things are just roles and functions but have nothing to do with who you are!
Can I drop a life lesson on you really quick that I have learned?
Lesson 1: Never attach your identity to something that can change!
You can be a wife or girlfriend today and a year later no longer have that role due to divorce or a breakup.
You can be a business owner today and 2 years from now have close the business endeavor due to various circumstances.
If your identity is intertwined with these roles when the role is lost, you will lose yourself as well.
Now any life-change, especially one that includes a change in relationship, or anything attached to your passion, will be painful and heartbreaking and potentially devastating. I am not negating the weight of these life altering occurrences; I am not saying the weight is not heavy. What I am saying is when you know that your identity is far beyond anything you do or anything you have life’s calamities can never destroy YOU or break YOU.
I am sure by now you are asking yourself, “So how can I discover who I am?”
I will mimic the pattern of my BFF Jesus and answer a question with a question. If you wanted to know the intricate details of a product, wouldn’t you consult the one who made it? I will take it a step further, to really appreciate the craftmanship and the handiwork of the product it would serve you well to get to Creator’s background, skill set, thought process, likes and dislikes, intentions, personality etc. If I were interviewing the creator, I would want to know how he/she created something so beautiful, what he/she calls it, what he/she wants to do with it, what he/she wants to accomplish with it. This brings us to our 2nd life lesson,
Lesson 2: The only way to truly know yourself is to get to know your Creator, God!
This is the part that gets me excited! What I am saying to you my sister is this, Seeking God=Finding Yourself. Yes, take the journey and go headfirst in seeking your Creator, find out EVERYTHING you can about Him. Talk to Him, read His word, listen to qualified people talk about His word and His works. Talk to people who have met Him as well, listen to their experiences and stories about their interactions with Him. Immerse yourself in God’s presence through prayer and worship with the mindset and “heartset” of curiosity and yearning to know Him. And here is the beauty in this pursuit of God, the more you ask Him about Him the more He will reveal to you about yourself!
But wait there is more! *Screams in excitement*
Could it be possible that the “YOU” you’ve known all these years isn’t the REAL you?
Stay tuned to Part 2!
