As a teenager, I was different! Growing up in Alabama there weren't many young members of the church. There were handful of us the same age, but we were spread out throughout many different schools. My values were completely different than those of the other kids at my high school. I dressed different, I acted differently, I spoke differently, and I believed differently then my peers. This wasn't a bad thing. In fact, I came to love it! I came to love the questions people would have for me about my beliefs in God. I loved people asking me why I didn't drink at parties or why I didn't date till I was 16 yrs old. I loved being different!! That was my my talent - to be okay with standing out.
As a freshly graduated High School student, I moved to Utah for college. Initially I still stood out. I had a strong southern accent and crowds would gather when I talked. I also acted a little different than the people from the west. I truly believed in the Gospel of Jesus Christ, but I lived it a little different. As time went on, people began judging me based off of my actions and the once uniqueness about myself began to make me insecure with who I was. And after a few years of living here, I began to change who I was to be like everyone around me.
Over the years I have lost who I am at my core. My testimony of the Gospel has continued to increase, but I worry about everything! I stress out and worry about not being perfect. I worry about the way I serve others, how I give talks or lessons, how I bear my testimony, how I vacation, I worry about how I run my business, etc. My worry has sucked the life out of me and has made me physically sick with chronic illnesses.
What happened to the girl who loved to be different?? What happened to the girl who didn't mind the questions and asking because it gave her opportunities to share the gospel with those around her? What happened to the girl who was so carefree and happy all the time because she knew she believed and did the best she could to live it and trusted God to take care of the rest? That girl slipped away as a perception of perfection can't be different became to the forefront of her mind.
I have found myself extremely judgmental of those who do things a little different. I mean, we are supposed to follow the "unspoken" rule of being the same in all things. If we want to create unity, we have to be the same. Isn't that what we are being taught? Isn't that what a follower of Jesus Christ is?
But it's not!! Don't you think it's interesting when Christ was on the earth that he didn't call any of the Pharisees or Scribes to be his apostles? He called "different" men. He called men that weren't the same and did things just a little out of the ordinary. He called men that the pharisees and scribes judged to be "imperfect" men.
In President Kimball's 1979 talk entitled The Role of Righteous Women, he says, "....all of you need to drink in deeply the gospel truths about the eternal nature of your individual identity and the uniqueness of your personality. You need, more and more, to feel the perfect love which our Father in Heaven has for you and to sense the value he places upon you as an individual. Ponder upon these great truths, especially in those moments when (in the stillness of such anxiety as you may experience as an individual) you might otherwise wonder and be perplexed." He continues, "but we do not desire the women of the Church to be uninformed or ineffective. You will be better mothers and wives, both in this life and in eternity, if you sharpen the skills you have been given and use the talents with which God has blessed you. He reminds us towards the end to "reflect righteousness....to the degree that women of the Church are seen as distinct and different - in happy ways - from the women of the world." (Bold and italicized to emphasize my point)
President Kimball has taught us that we must be different! We each have a unique personality for a reason and we are to use it along with the talents God has blessed us with. If that's the case, we can't be exactly the same! Perfection will not look the same for me as it will for you! We each have a different journey on our path to perfection.
This was like a lightbulb for me today!! All this time I've been conforming to "the precepts of man" and didn't have my truths straight.
God needs me to be different! God needs you to be different!! God needs us to be us! He created us to be ourselves for a reason. If he wanted unity he would have created us all with the exact some personality, characteristics, and talents. But instead we are each unique and powerful in our uniqueness!!
And if you don't believe me, go listen to Sister Eubank's talk This Is a Woman's Church.
These two talks were both given for women, but they apply to you men too. It applies to every single child of God.
So back to the title of this post - Is it ok to be different?
YES!!!!
"JUST BE YOU, IT'S ENOUGH"
We need to be different!! We need to stand out, especially to the world! We need to be okay with being who God created us!
Today I challenge you to list out the qualities and characteristics that make you you. Be proud of them! Thank you Heavenly Father for them! And most importantly continue to grow them!
Don't hid from who you are! Embrace that you are different and you need to be different! Embrace that through your uniqueness you will do GREAT things here on earth. Let God use you to be a force for good!
Comments