live free.

It seemed to hit out of nowhere. All of the sudden, I wondered what was wrong with me..why I couldn't look like her, talk like her, be as funny or as stylish as her. Comparison. It had hit me and I spiraled into a mindset of constant pressure. I had to make sure I looked a certain way so that I didn't stand out or look weird. I had to make sure I didn't laugh too much. My hair had to be just so, and I hated myself if I had any sign of blemishes on my face.

If I could just be as pretty as her...
If I could just be as funny as her...
If I could just have a perfect life like she seems to have...
If I could just write like her...

But I couldn't.

I was so focused on myself, my image, and measuring up to the people around me that I forgot what really mattered. I forgot who I was in Christ. I forgot that He set me apart, that He has a unique plan for me, and that His opinion is the only one that I need to be concerned about. People change, trends change, and I'm never going to be "good enough." But God never changes. I cannot afford to be distracted from the purpose and path God has laid before me because I want my life to look like someone else's. And neither can you.

Because the reality is, we are not supposed to be the same. We are created uniquely, set apart for a specific purpose that God has in place for each of us individually. Your purpose is not going to look like my purpose, his purpose, or her purpose. We are not meant to look the same, think the same, act the same, or talk the same. We are meant to be the unique, set-apart individuals that God has called us to be, and we are meant to seek His will and follow it wholeheartedly.

The truth of it is, their life isn't perfect either. Their heart has surely been broken and I'm sure they feel a bit awkward and afraid sometimes, because don't we all? You may not know all the messy, broken pieces of every human, but they are there. We all have our scars, our secret hurts, our flaws that we pick out, and our insecurities. No matter how it may look online, no human is more put together than the next. Don't forget that. Spend your time helping others, encouraging and walking through life together. We are to have community with our sisters in Christ, not competition.

Let's take our eyes off of ourselves and look up. Let's stop beating ourselves up for things that aren't important in light of eternity. Let's shift our focus to the God who never changes, the only God who is Holy, Sovereign, True, and full of grace. Let's remember who we are in Christ, not how we look next to other people. Don't waste your time and your life wishing it looked like someone else's.

My love, live free. Live free in the grace and the love that our perfect Heavenly Father gives, because when you are following Christ and captivated by Him, He will lead you in the most glorious purpose you could ever know. After all, He's been planning this since before the world began.


//megan ♥