Carbon Copy.

Hey everyone, sorry for the lack of posting recently. College prep and everything here at home has kept my insanely busy, but know that I have tons of ideas for posts - just no time! If I EVER get that laptop I need for college (which starts in just over a week, wow...) I'll be posting all the time. You won't have time to read them all. Bam.

Ohk, on to the topic of this post.

Recently, this idea has been hitting me hard. It goes along with the post I put up in my IYC recaps (see the second night's recap, titled "Love Yourself.") in the aspect that, yes, you need to love yourself. I've been struggling with this lately - not so much me having to grow used to myself, because I don't have to. IYC made it plain and clear that I'm a perfect work of God, so I have nothing to fret over anymore. I'm perfectly content with who and what I am - God's princess.

No, the thing that's been bugging me lately isn't that. It's that people don't seem to realize who and what God made me too. This is a lesson for everyone, so listen up.

So, you're happy with yourself. Sure, you're not perfect - who is? But you're content with what God made and who you are. Awesome, you've overcome a great challenge that not everyone has, and so you deserve to give yourself a pat on the back. But what about the people who just keep picking - the haters who keep criticizing your every move, your every look, idea, thought, action, you name it. They call you names. Worthless. Stupid. Ugly. Pathetic.

Noone would ever love you, they say. You're a piece of junk.

Who's to tell you otherwise? You may be content with who you are and what God made, but after a while...it gets to you. The lies they say start hitting home. Maybe you make a mistake - even in secret, while you're alone - and then what they say comes flooding into your mind. Maybe they're right, you say. Maybe I am everything they think I am.

Wrong.

Psalm 139:14 - "I praise you because I am fearfully and WONDERFULLY made; your works are WONDERFUL, I know that full well."

There you have it, right from the scriptures. Everything God makes is fearfully and wonderfully made. Everything He makes is perfect, amazing, and just what He wants it to be.

There's the old saying, that goes "God don't make no junk." The Skit Guys did a bit about this - see the link that goes to YouTube.com, the skit is called God's Chisel. http://www.youtube.com/user/theskitguys?blend=1&ob=4

God doesn't make junk. And He definitely doesn't make carbon copies - the paper dolls you used to cut when you were little don't apply in real life! You aren't SUPPOSED to be like everyone else - be yourself!

So here's your NR challenge for this post. I challenge you to be yourself. Not who everyone else wants you to be, or what they're telling you to be. Be YOURSELF - WHO GOD MADE YOU. And if you're reading this and seeing that you're the kind of person who's belittling others? I challenge YOU to see if what you're doing and saying is up to par with what God wants. Think you're "helping?" Think again.

Are you in?

-Kimber.