Tag: be yourself

apples to…apples?

Karla Lees

The movie Big Fat Greek Wedding has a scene where the father of the bride welcomes the parents of the groom to the family using a comparison of apples to oranges.

I can relate.

I have often felt like a round peg tying to fit into a board filled with square holes.  It kinda goes, but not really. A misfit, not really finding my place.

Years ago, someone read my mail & God spoke to me about being the me He created, and to stop comparing myself to others with different talents & giftedness.

I have tried hard not to do so over the years, leaning heavily into His embrace & relying on His strength.

Over the past few weeks, a new type of enemy assault has been trying to break through my defenses and lure me back into the comparison trap.

That I don’t fit in the body of Christ.

This followed my final drafts of the Bible study chapter being submitted… “Maybe they won’t get where you are coming from, you aren’t good enough to be a part of this team, your work is substandard next to everyone else’s.”

Each & every time, I have taken these thoughts captive and brought them to Him as God instructs us all to do when we are bombarded by enemy.

But there was an unexpected strain of doubt which sneakily moved beyond my defenses, and began to take root.

Maybe it’s true….

I am not good enough for this task….

Yesterday, God showed me how untrue that was in the produce section.

You see, I am part of the Body.
We are all one Bride, making herself ready for Him.

But there are so many varieties in the differences we all have from one another.

God whispered to me I am a green apple compared to the many red apples.  For He has given me a gift of speaking Life to the Body. My gift may not be the same as yours, but each of our has a place in the Body it belongs to, and compliments one another’s.

I will always be part of His Bride, one of the Body.

So will you.

Tell the enemy you too have had enough with his manipulations, accusations & doubt sowing.

Be who God designed YOU to be.

All the wonderfully hand crafted by the Father you-ness He had in mind when He made you.

There never has been, nor never will be, another you. Ever.

You’re it, apple of His eye!

And He thinks you are beautiful, but never more so than when you are living out the calling He has just for you & pursuing Him with everything You’ve got.

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Keep me as the apple of your eye

-Psalm 17:8a

…Whoever touches you touches the apple of His eye…

-Zechariah 2:8

be the you God designed

Karla Lees

There are a lot of things about me which I love.

My ability to multitask
My love of puns & fun
My voice when I sing
My love of music
My eyes
My curls (95% of the time)
My feet
My passion to learn
My burning yearn for more of God

When you add all the gifts, talents, spirit & soul, and mix in my uniqueness to the packaging God custom designed, I am the result.

God didn’t just whip me off a conveyor belt, He took care, with planning & purpose & love in mind, as He set about making the spark of cells that would become me, only me.

Ever thought about just how much ‘detailed programming’ God invested in your creation?

He thought about making you, and you came to be, at exactly the right moment in time & history.

You are no accident.

I came out with more than a few quirks:

My pinkies are significantly shorter than the rest of my fingers.
I have a few birthmarks, my fave being the upside down heart on the back of my left leg.
I have freckles, and skin that turns shades of red vs lovely tan like colors.
I have a mouth on the smaller side for all the teeth that tried to come in.
I have a limited trunk.
I visibly cringe when I hear a wrong note.
I don’t like coffee, beer or cigarettes.

Just as my gifts & talents are by His design, my quirks were also known by Him.

My whole life was taken into consideration before He created me.

The same for you!

You are so well known by the Master Craftsman.

Not only does He know your strengths & quirks, but two other key factors:

He knew you wouldn’t do well on your own, so He placed you where you would have family; by blood or by choice.

He knew you would fail. To live up to His standards, others expectations, your own hopes & dreams.

The need for Jesus was woven into our very DNA to help us become alive as He designed, as only He can bring to life.

Out of love,
He gave us each a custom gift.
Life.

Because of how we lived,
because of our hurts & shackles,
because of our great need,
He gave us His most precious gift, new life through Jesus.

He not only set us free
& made us clean,
He welcomes each of us
who come to Him
with arms wide open
into our forever family.

When we begin to truly live
our lives with Him,
following His leading
as He guides us,
our gifts and talents awaken
and begin to make sense,
as we become one with
His unique action plan for us.

How I live out become more ‘me’ will look very different from someone who is an extrovert, a gifted athlete, or evangelist, for example.

I am so thankful that God gave us direction, through His Word & through Holy Spirit’s prompting within those who accept His lead.

I am very grateful that the God who designed and shaped me is continuing to do so as I ask for His help navigating the life laid out ahead of me.

I am especially moved when I remember the pain Jesus purposefully chose on the cross to show me (you) His passion for me (you).

Embrace the freedom to be yourself. He wants you to be the you He designed for you to be, with Him walking closely beside you every step of the way.

As I become more ‘me’, my prayer is I reveal more ‘He’ to those around me.

That my efforts to live reveal His hands keeping me safe, His love anchoring my heart, His wisdom in my choices, and His glory when I hit the mark!

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#betheyouHedesigned

wide open spaces

Karla Lees

Dear, dear Corinthians, I can’t tell you how much I long for you to enter this wide-open, spacious life. We didn’t fence you in. The smallness you feel comes from within you. Your lives aren’t small, but you’re living them in a small way. I’m speaking as plainly as I can and with great affection. Open up your lives. Live openly and expansively!

2 Corinthians 6:11-13 MSG

It is time to step out of our confines, and hop over the fences we have hidden ourselves behind.

Wide open spaces in His Presence await.

That sentence sent a shiver down my spine, not because its scary, but holy and awesome and amazing all rolled into one.

The freedom to be ourselves out wherever He leads us is a gift many of us are missing out on.

We can’t see how the money will come in to support this wild new adventure, so we don’t make room to let the seed grow, even in our dreams.

We can’t come out from behind our fences because we are trying to do it in our own strength & abilities, and its a supernatural freedom we need to move beyond.

We feel stuck between two camps, the safe where we may be bored but we know what to expect, while part of us is longing for the unexpected adventure that could await us if we took the leap.

And just like you, I am in the same place.

Longing for the freedom to run wild & free beside Jesus, and feel stuck in the quagmire of the day to day.

Today I realized something.

Although I have a to do list (just as we all do) that doesn’t mean I can’t make space & time to go running with Jesus into the freedom He beckons me towards.

Because in this case, freedom is a spiritual thing.

We can escape our inner fences and move into the wonder He has waiting for us, even if we still have the same job, sick kids, bills to pay and mountains of laundry.

We are designed for forever living. Our spirits are eternal.

I don’t know about you, but that truth is wonderously wild and sobering.

We don’t have to wait until heaven to begin to soar.

Today, take a moment and ask God to reveal where you have a fence holding you back from the gift of freedom He has for you.

Ask Him to break you out, destroy the fence and set you free.

Take hold of His hand, and head on out into those first steps into the unknown now ahead, knowing He has your hand tight in His grasp.

God with us means we don’t have to be afraid.

He’s got you.

The wild open spaces are beckoning you to come…you don’t even need to leave home to get there!

Step through the door into the wonder that awaits you.

Live wide!

#pressingin
#echoesofNarnia
#hopeinHisPresence
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The two keys to keep from settling

Karla Lees

In relationships, we can end up with a mixed bag of emotions, expectations & never ending energy draining roller coaster rides when we don’t follow through with two vital things.

The two keys we all need to have or do in our relationships?

1. Be yourself.
Don’t lose yourself, in any relationship.
Be able to answer:
What do you like? Dislike?
Believe? Treasure?
What are your boundaries?
Where are your weaknesses? Strengths?
What are you passionate about?

If you don’t know the answer to these questions, how can you be expected to relate to those around you on level ground? A strong personality will run roughshod over you, a weak one will drive you crazy from their indecision.

Not only know yourself, carry yourself like you ‘own it.’
You know, kind of like those who stick out in the crowd…with the wild hair, piercings, all black garb or walking like they own the place… they aren’t afraid to express what they like, and reveal a piece of who they are.

PS. Did you know God wants you to be yourself with Him too? Coz He already knows what your best and worst qualities are, where you are gifted, what drives you crazy, what you need to spend more time working on. He’s proud of you, and adores you just the way you are right now.

2. Stop settling.
Sometimes our emotions carry us further along than we were meant to go. When physical attraction pheromones kicks in, we can struggle to maintain a conversation. Make sure you aren’t giving in to less than your standard, which is hopefully God’s best for you. 

If the one you are dating is always very late, they aren’t respecting your time. If the one you are with constantly puts you down, don’t put up with it. If they try their moves before they commitment, you can be sure their actions are speaking louder than their words.

Does this mean we can’t forgive a bad day or two?
Not at all.

But if your relationship, as mentioned in the Relevant Magazine Article below, is characterized only by the negative, God may be trying to get your attention to take a step back, get help if necessary, and possibly move on.

No relationship should have an imbalance of power, abuse or harm in it.

You are worth too much to God for Him to want you to settle.

This sometimes means you might end up alone, or have to wait, take things slower to make sure you know the one you are in relationship with if you are dating, or break up.

There are seasons for friendships as well as weather. When all there is are storms or tornados, or you’ve been burned over & over despite second, fourth or eighteenth chances, you may need to move on.
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The burn is never worth the rush that caused it.

Be yourself.
Know who you are, what you have to offer, what kind of person you want as a good friend or partner.
Pray hard.
Stick to your standards.
Don’t settle for less than God wants for you.
After all He gave His best, Jesus, for us.
He is more than enough for you in the wait.

Pssssst. Here is the article that started my train of thought:
5-people-you-should-never-settle-for