A warm welcome to LassVilletoryLand! Please take a seat,
relax and have yourself a cup of tea or coffee. For my first article I felt led
to write about ‘self-discovery’ and before you think “ahhrrgh boring” trust me,
you’re in for a ride. This is a subject that we’ve heard about now and again which
is closely related to self-love (learning to love you) but in this case we
won’t be engaging in that rather we are talking about Knowing You. I would say
that ‘Knowing you’ is quite vital as everything else in your life is dependent
on how you see yourself; the relationships you form, the perspective you have
of others, your goals & aspirations and life in general are all dependent
on your perception of self.
Most of us have a hard time admitting that we are somehow
conscious of ourselves, our surroundings and the people around us. This simply
means that we are constantly on guard of what we say, how we say it, how we
look and what other people think of us because we fear being judged or
negatively perceived by others. I would say that 90% of the time people would
rather remain silent than to voice out their opinion because they are afraid of
what other people will think of them or they would rather conform to status quo
(popular perception) than to stand out. I know this because at some point in
our lives we all suffer from fear of being judged; sometimes we suffer from it
time and time again whereby it becomes a place we live from every day (some
kind of imprisonment). Usually self-consciousness roots deeper than just the
fear of being judged, it resonates from the need to be accepted and loved. Truth
is; we all want to feel accepted and loved in one way or the other but
sometimes we just look for it in the wrong places. We look for acceptance &
love from the world & people yet true love & acceptance is birth in you
knowing who you are and embracing you.
Knowing yourself means that: 1) You know that
there is a God who created the heavens and the earth who loves you more than
any human being can love you nor wish to love you. Lamentations 3:22 [English standard version] says “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases…” His love never
runs out, you don’t need to look for it nor try to attain it; it is already
there for you unlike the love of people which you have to work & sweat for
with the possibility of gaining it and losing it. You don’t have to base your
value on how other people treat you or receive you but can simply base it on
how God values you so much that He keeps loving on you day in and out without
fail.
Knowing yourself means that: 2) You know that God has your back in anything you do, you don’t need people’s
affirmation and approval to realize your worth, beauty, strength and unique
qualities. Psalm 100:3 [English standard
version] says “Know that the Lord, he is God! It is He who made us, and we are His.” How personal can that get, we
are His. If something belongs to you, you take good care of it right?
So does God. He will affirm you when no one does, love you when you feel
unloved, encourage you when you feel down and avow that you are beautiful when
you feel most vulnerable to the pressures of worldly standards of beauty. (Men
can be beautiful too - on the inside. It’s not just a women’s thing)
Knowing yourself means that: 3) You believe in yourself more than
the person sitting or standing next to you because you understand that your
thoughts, your being and personality are uniquely crafted by the Almighty God
to fit You and no one can replicate them no matter how hard they could
try. Psalm 139:13-14 [English standard
version] says “For You formed my inward
parts; You knitted me together in my mother’s womb. I praise You, for I am
fearfully and wonderfully made.” I believe that with any knitter every
piece knitted is unique from the previous one therefore when the Almighty God
knits us in our mother’s wombs; certainly each one of us is made unique from
the other. You & I are unique and that is something to own.
Knowing yourself means that: 4) You
understand that you matter. What you have to say is relevant, it does not
matter how insignificant you may think it is; your words have a purpose, use
them wisely. Jeremiah 1:5 [NIV] says “Before I formed you in the womb I knew
you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the
nations.” If you doubted your significance in this earth, now you know
that you are not just a mere human being that was born to add numbers on earth.
In this verse, God is speaking to Jeremiah but it applies to each and every
individual. God knew you before you were even formed in your mother’s womb
(that’s deep) and not only did He know you but appointed you and gave you a
purpose. Now, it is up to you whether you want to discover that purpose but it
is there; you have something the world needs.
The sad reality is that, we live life either trying to be
someone else or trying hard not to be ourselves. We hide behind our own shadows
at the same time expecting some kind of fulfilment that would come with the
ability of freely expressing who we are; which in actual fact isn’t really who
we are. Let go, and start being You! If people think you are too much, let them
think so – remember God is on your side. If people think you are not that
interesting, let them think so – God finds you very interesting and to top it
all, He will bring people in your life that will appreciate you As
You Are. If people think you’re not that smart or intelligent, trust me
they got it all wrong because anything that comes from God is made in
perfection and God is the master of all intelligence called wisdom (you have
access to this wisdom.)
My advice to you and me is; get up,
dust yourself and start living life as YOU. Be bold in who you are and do not
be apologetic about it to the world. I remember the words of a young man
(thanks Mvelo Dube, courtesy of…) he said to me “Many times, we live life being
apologetic about who we are because we are afraid.” I never forgot these words;
it was a ‘light bulb’ moment. He was basically encouraging me to step up and
stand out for what I believe in and refuse to live in timidity. Today I do the
same, I encourage you and me to refuse living in fear of ourselves; break free
and live. No one can live your life as you except YOU. Know YOU and stand out
for YOU.
If you have any testimony to share, message or note, please
feel free to leave a comment below or e-mail at: lassvilletoryland@gmail.com
Much love, be blessed J
