In my life I have struggled to find my identity. As a teenager I played the part of a chameleon. I went from group to group in hopes of being accepted by someone. I only ended up lonely, and it did not matter that I was with a group. I still felt alone because none of my friends saw me for who I truly was. Part of the problem was that I did not know who I was. I spent so much time focusing on what the people around me expected of me, that I was too busy to realize that I was my own person. I was someone that God had created. An individual made for a specific reason, completely unique.
“I will praise you, because I have been remarkably and wonderfully made. Your works are wonderful, and I know this very well.”
-Psalm 139:14
It took me a long time to understand this verse. I looked at myself and saw everything I had done wrong and could not understand how that made me remarkable. Then one day I finally understood grace. The mistakes of the past make us unique. God’s grace covers those mistakes and gives us a new identity. Like a rose that starts out as a small bud and then blossoms into a beautiful, unique flower, God forms each of us, every day.Shakespeare wrote in Romeo and Juliet, “What is in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.”
When I think about this quote, I think about the fact that it is not the circumstance that makes us who we are; it is our character that makes us who we are. Who are you? Who is God creating you to be? Do you sit and listen to the ideas and expectations of those around you or do you listen to the one that created you? God made you, inside and out. He created you for a specific reason, listen to his directions. Sometimes that means taking the path less traveled. Often it means sticking out in the crowd. Every now and then it means you lose a friend because you chose to stand up for what was right and not go along with the crowd. It happens, but just like a rose is beautiful, it has its thorns. Becoming the person that God created is never easy. Please do not let this stop you from finding the path that God has laid out for you.
“’For I know the plans I have for you’ – this is the Lord’s declaration – ‘plans for your welfare, not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.’”
-Jeremiah 29:11
Every person is a unique diamond. Each has a different sparkle and facet. Every person has varying dimensions to his identity. As opposed to changing to fit in with the crowd, one can go from being introverted to extroverted. The facets of your personality represent the different angles that you allow others to see of your character. When you change to fit in with different crowds you deny part of yourself, whereas facets are simply different sides of the same object.
I still battle the impulse to give in and be a chameleon. I find the strength to keep fighting that battle every time a friend sees who I am and not a mask that I put on. When God uses something that I have gone through to help me understand someone else’s trouble and pain; it makes me realize that I would not be able to do that, if I was not following his path and being who he created me to be. I found my identity when I realized that my past was not a hindrance, but a blessing. It is not always easy being me. It will not always be easy to be you.
Do not be afraid to stand out. Take off your mask and stop being a chameleon! God created you to be unique. Find out what that means for you. Do not expect your friends to act a certain way and accept them for who they are. If they do not know who they are, help them find out.
“Yet Lord, you are our Father; we are the clay, and you are our potter;
we all are the work of your hands.”
-Isaiah 64:8
Become like clay in the potter’s hands and let go of control. God can and will take care of you. You are unique, never forget that.
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