Yes I said it! What I am really saying is stop trying to keep up with an image that isn’t even you.
I have spent so many years putting on. As we go through life we tend to conform to our surroundings and for most people we try to find a way to fit in. Well, have you ever thought maybe you are not supposed to fit in?
I went to middle school in Fort Riley, Kansas. Fort Riley is a military army base. During this time I was trying to find out who I was. I am originally from Atlanta, Georgia. When I arrived to Fort Riley everything was different. I was around different races, faces and cultures.
The way I spoke changed. The way I interacted changed. I stopped speaking the way I used to so I could fit in. I literally took on the form of my surroundings. This time in my life shaped how I interacted moving forward.
I eventually moved back to Atlanta for my high school years. I was called names like “Oreo”, “Valley Girl” and “White Girl” People called me those names simply because of the way I spoke. This was difficult for me as a teenager because I thought the way I spoke was how I was supposed to speak.
Truthfully I was not being myself. I didn’t know what my own voice should sound like. Recently I realized that I can have my own voice. I can talk how I talk and still be a professional.
My voice and my personality are unique to how God made me. Your voice and your personality are unique to how God made you. So, be you! We don’t have to act like anyone else because we are who we are for a reason. My voice has a sound that God created specifically to reach His people. Your voice has a sound that God created specifically to reach His people. So use it!
You do not have to change who you are because of where you are physically. You don’t have to fit in. You can be your authentic self! Romans 12:2 explains that we should not conform to this world but we should transform by renewing our mind with Gods word. The word of God tells me who I am. His word is like looking into long lost mirror that I always needed. His word allows me to see who I really am.
Again, I tell you stop putting on for your city! Be the unique person you are and allow God to help you with the rest.
Lisa Sophia 