I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.
Psalm 139:14 {NIV}
What a powerful declaration! Each and every time I hear a story about a child being bullied, I just want to grab him or her and say 2 things:
- you are made in the image of God {Genesis 1:27}
- God loves you {John 3:16}
I know what it means to be bullied, to go home crying because the teasing hurt so much that I thought I’d break in two. I understand the kid who sits in the dark of night and thinks life will never get better. I’ve felt the sting of rejection from a crush…
I grew up with a twin sister who was always voted to the Homecoming Court, was constantly sought after by the boys, and, in general, was just very popular. I was the odd one out. People looked at me and thought nothing of questioning my paternity {or my maternity, for that matter} in front of me. “Are you two really twins?” They’d stare at my yellow skin, reddish brown hair, and dark freckles in disbelief, “then how come you don’t look alike?” I suffered under constant suggestions for “improvement” from well meaning family members: lose weight, do this with your hair, try a little makeup, suck it up, etc.
I began to take solace in books…
I solved mysteries with Nancy Drew. Fell in love with Heathcliff. Protested with Malcolm X. And cried with Anjuli~Bai.
But, still, in the back of my mind, I could hear those voices telling me that I wasn’t good enough. I needed to reach for something deeper and that came from the word of God. I’m not a mistake. There is value to my life. From the moment we were in our mothers’ wombs, God had a plan for us {Jeremiah 1:5 and Jeremiah 29:11}. We just need to seek after Him to find our purpose. This doesn’t mean that I don’t still have moments of self~doubt, I do; but they’re quickly replaced with the joy that comes from knowing who I am in Him.
I am somebody.
You are somebody.
Embrace your quirks, I do…
31. Sometimes when a really good song comes on the radio, I pull the car over and sing. And dance.
32. My kids used to call me “Lady” when they were little. My biggest fear was that someone would think I kidnapped them.
33. The first time I saw computer {1980something}, I told my teacher that no one was going to have one of those things in their house. I was wrong.
34. I wanted to invest in Starbucks. Our financial planner told us that it was a ridiculous idea. She was wrong.
35. I used to be Scottie Pippen’s biggest fan. I was probably his only fan.
36. When I was a little girl, I fully intended to have one child and one monkey. I wanted to raise them as siblings. I promised my family I’d never ever share that with anyone. I lied.
37. I absolutely positively hate Halloween but I will not turn down a piece of candy. Smartees, please.
38. I received two full scholarship offers to two different colleges and one partial scholarship to another. I chose the partial because the school was in New Orleans. That is not how one should plan his or her future.
39. I tried out for the basketball team in 10th grade. I was awful. The coach felt so bad for me that he made me the team statistician. I got to travel with the team. Which was all I really wanted…
40. My twin sister was born in the back of a police car and I was born 45 minutes later at the hospital door. My mom says we were drama queens from birth. I’d agree.
You can read other stuff about me by clicking here…
This post is inspired by Katie at Creole Wisdom.
