missed chances

Back to Loving Being Me

/ Ragamuffingospelfan / Leave a comment

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It really is okay to love yourself. After all, the Bible does say to love your neighbor as yourself and you can’t very well do that if you’re not too fond of you. I think there’s a kind of false modesty that gets passed around where we have the “aw shucks” mentality and downplay any compliments that come our way. I can tell you for certain that kind of thinking doesn’t come from God or the Bible.

God made you. He created you exactly how He wanted you to be and no matter how many scars and breaks and bruises and messes you may have accumulated along the way, He still loves the work of His own hands– you. No matter how you may have been rejected or friend-zoned by girls or guys, God is enraptured and enamored and captivated by you. He is completely and totally crazy in love with you.

I’m loving being me. I can say that I’m not like anybody else out there. That doesn’t make me odd. That might make me eccentric. What that does make me for absolute certain is unique. There is no one in the whole wide world quite like me, and I like that.

I love that I can be socially awkward at times. I love that I can be overly enthusiastic in my friendliness and sometimes be perceived as coming across a little creepy.  That’s okay. Aside from maybe needing to visit Decaf-land from time to time, I’m fine if not every single person likes what I have to offer. Many people were turned off by Jesus.

I love that when God sees me, He sees Jesus. He sees beauty and perfection and wisdom and strength beyond measure. He sees my very best self, the one only hinted at in my best moments of selfless devotion. He sees the finished product of who I will become.

As of this moment, I refuse to take on myself any names other than the ones He has given me. Not from family or friends. Not from co-workers. Not even from me. I don’t have to be defined by words spoken in frustration or anger or resignation. I am no longer the mistakes I’ve made or the chances I’ve missed or the good intentions coming up short.

I am Forgiven. I am Set Free. I am Redeemed. I am A New Creation. I am Blameless.

Of all the names God has given me, my favorite is this: I am His Beloved Son in whom He is well pleased.

My hope and prayer for you tonight is to let go of all the names you or anyone else has called you out of hate or anger and embrace the name given in love by your Creator and Redeemer and Savior. Listen to Him calling you His Beloved Child. Hear Him singing His delight over you and smiling over you. Let your life be defined by God’s pleasure over you instead of people’s disappointment in you.

I truly hope and pray that you will come to the point where you can truly and honestly say that you love being you.

Brackets, Bucks, and Other Such Nonesense

/ Ragamuffingospelfan / Leave a comment

Last year, I came oh-so-very-close to immortality in the ESPN NCAA Bracket Challenge. I had picked most of the winners and was among the top 100 or so until the championship game. In case you are wondering, I picked Kansas over Kentucky, which in hindsight turned out to be a very unwise choice.

This year, I’m covering my bases. So far, I’ve filled out 7 different brackets. One doesn’t really count since I flipped a coin for all the games and have Butler winning it all. The rest are (mostly) serious. I’m not making any predictions as to how they will turn out, but I’m cautiously optimistic.

Most years, I don’t even come close. My bracket usually gets busted by the end of the second round (there was the year that one of the teams I had making it to the finals lost in the FIRST round. That was embarrassing.

Still, you can’t win if you don’t play. You can second-guess yourself to death and wonder what might have happened or you can just go for it and see what happens.

Life is like that. You are almost never guaranteed that your plans will work out or that you will succeed, but those plans that remain untried fail every time and you never succeed if you never make the effort.

I haven’t always been the poster child for being adventurous and brave. In fact, I’ve missed out on chances because I was afraid or unsure of myself. But the beautiful part is that I don’t have to let that dictate how I will respond to the challenges I face tomorrow and beyond.

You don’t either.

So pray like crazy, pick your side, and go for it. Step out in faith. Don’t be left wondering what might have been. Defeat and failure are always easier to live with than regret.