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PROGRAM D-7256
Sometimes I feel like I’m pulled in two directions. You see, I know from the Bible that as a believer I am to accept who I am in Christ and be content with the way God has designed me. I know I’m not supposed to compare myself to others and envy who they are or what they have. I know I am specially created by God like no one else and I must appreciate his handiwork in me.
But on the other hand, I also know there are many things about me that I should not accept. I see the blemishes and the defects and the areas of failure. I know there is much room for improvement and needed maturity in some areas.
So, my dilemma is: How do I accept who I am when who I am is not all I should be? How can I believe that I’m really special just the way I am when I know I’m a long way from completion?
Well, here’s what I’m coming to understand: I truly must accept who I am and rejoice in how God has created and gifted me. But I must never settle for where I am in my growth and maturity. Accept, but don’t settle.
For example, the Bible tells me that I am fearfully and wonderfully made. God fashioned me in my mother’s womb, and he knew me before I was born; my days were planned for me before any of them ever were. Each of us can and should be very secure and contented with who we are, because God’s hands made us and formed us, and God doesn’t make mistakes.
There is wonderful freedom in accepting who I am. Freedom from having to live up to other’s expectations—or even my own. Freedom from having to be like others or compete with others. Freedom from the need to prove to the world that I am someone special, because I already know I’m someone special to God. It really takes the monkey off my back!
When you are not happy with who you are, you inflict great suffering on yourself. It causes you to be envious of others, to resent the success of others, to fight to get ahead of others, to be dependent on the approval of others. All kinds of problems arise when you cannot accept who you are.
Have you come to that place yet, where you can truly say, “I like the way God has created me”? Oh, I hope so. It is not prideful to appreciate God’s handiwork in you. Rather it brings glory to God, just as when you appreciate a work of art you bring honor to the artist. But accepting doesn’t mean settling.