To be me

I am who I am because it's who God made me.

My camp counselor from the summer of 1997 had written a small note to me and left it on my bed. She did it for all of the girls in our cabin. Mine said:

Remember Psalm 139:
God knows Jaime better than Jaime knows her self. He loves her because He made her and she belongs to Him.

I still have that piece of paper. It has been laminated and is now a bookmark, marking Psalm 139 in my Bible. It reminds me that I am who I am for a reason. And I always need to be proud of that. God made me this way because he wanted me to be. He gave me my blonde hair, my hazel eyes, my small hands, my smile... He made me the size and shape that I am. He gave me my heart, my mind, my feelings... It goes so much deeper than just my physical self. And I'm in awe of that.

It reminds me that I don't need to change for others. I don't need to worry about impressing other people. So what if someone doesn't think I'm pretty enough? I'm not going to go out and dye my hair to make them happy. Or wear different clothes. Or put on a ton of makeup.

I'm not going to change my way of thinking just because one person doesn't like it. Just because I don't think the same as you doesn't necessarily mean I'm wrong. I grew up differently than you. I have a different point of view.

I am in no way saying that I'm perfect. I know I'm not. No one is. There are things that I know I need to change to make me a better person for myself. For God. Those aren't the things I'm talking about. I definitely want to change those things to make myself the best I can be.

But those things that God gave me, that makes me who He wants me to be, those are the things that I won't change. I'll keep them that way. He knows who I am. He knows me better than I know me. He made me the way I am for a reason. And I am proud of that.

I love who I am. And I hope others can love me for who I am, too. Don't look at me through the world's eyes. Try to see me through God's eyes. You know how much different things would seem if we did that? We're all God's creation, and we're beautiful because of it. I am. You are. Just like the rest of His creation. The mountains, the oceans, fields, flowers, deer....

Isn't that awesome? And the best part? How much He truly cares about us. He created us to be able to worship Him. We're the only part of His creation who can worship Him. Amazing.

We need to be proud of who we are. In God. And because of God.