Authentically, Uniquely You: Embrace Your Uniqueness

Authentically, Uniquely You!

Did you know that even identical twins have different fingerprints and different iris patterns in their eyes? Their DNA is very similar, but not exactly the same. Authentically, Uniquely You!

In the same way, there is no one else in the world exactly like you.

This not only makes you unique; it also makes you very special. One-of-a-kind things are very valuable and highly sought after, and so are you. 

According to God’s design, no one person is precisely like anyone else—we’re all uniquely designed for a specific purpose, and that is good.

The qualities that make us special benefit us and bless others in many ways, yet far too often we find ourselves discouraged by them and wishing we were like someone else. 

For many years, I suffered trying to be like people I admired—everyone from my husband to my pastor’s wife to my neighbor.

I envied the traits I saw in them that I did not see in myself. I hadn’t yet learned that God gives each of us unique traits, but He does not give us all the same unique traits. Authentically, Uniquely You!

For example, I spent years not liking my voice because it’s deeper than most female voices, and I’m often mistaken for a man when I call people who don’t know me.

However, once I realized that God gave me my unique voice for His purpose, I learned to accept it and even enjoy it. 

The truth is, we’re all good at some things, but no one is good at everything. Accepting this is the first step toward being the authentic, real person we were created to be.

And when we’re authentic, we don’t have to live to keep others happy, because we’re genuinely comfortable in our own skin and can follow our own hearts as the Holy Spirit leads us.

When we’re authentic, we have no need to hide or pretend. Instead, we like who we are, and we can enjoy being at peace with ourselves, God, and others. 

I’m praying that as you go through this message, you learn to embrace your authentic self, find freedom from comparing yourself with others, and discover the beauty of the amazing person God designed you to be.

All of His works are wonderful—and that includes you!

“God, thank You for creating me intentionally and loving me fully. Please help me to begin to embrace the person You made me to be so I can walk in freedom and fulfill the purpose You have for my life. In Jesus’ name, amen.”

Authentically Uniquely You

Make Peace With Yourself 

What kind of relationship do you have with yourself?

Are you at peace with yourself, or are you constantly upset with yourself about something? Authentically, Uniquely You!

One thing I’ve learned over many years of walking with God is that in order to live authentically, we need to pursue and live in peace. 

Here are a few practical ways you can cultivate peace with yourself:

• Receive God’s forgiveness.

When we sin, the best way to respond is to repent, ask God to forgive us, and then choose not to allow feelings of guilt to torment us.

Constantly feeling guilty will only weaken us and cause us to fall into more sin.

But when we receive God’s forgiveness, we can move forward in strength and peace, knowing that He’s removed all guilt from us (see Psalm 103:12; 1 John 1:9). 

• Make the decision to like yourself.

For years, I dealt with self-hatred because of the sexual abuse I endured growing up. Because I didn’t like myself, enjoying peace with anyone else was almost impossible for me.

However, as I spent time in God’s Word and discovered just how much He loved me, I eventually began to see myself the way He sees me and even love myself the way He does.

Eleanor Roosevelt rightly observed, “Before we can make friends with anyone else, we must first make friends with ourselves.” 

• Focus on how far you’ve come.

The enemy wants us to constantly focus on everything that is wrong with us and look at how far we still have to go.

But God desires for us to rejoice in how far we have already come!

I love 2 Corinthians 3:18 (AMPC). It says that God will change us “from one degree of glory to another.”

What does this mean? It means that little by little, He will transform us by His Word and help us to grow. 

I used to focus too much on my failures and problems.

It not only sunk my attitude, but it kept me from seeing the good things God was doing in the moment.

That is when the Lord encouraged me to declare good things about the progress I was making.

I started saying, “I’m not where I want to be, but thank God I’m not where I used to be. I’m okay and I’m on my way!”

No matter where you are on your journey, one thing is for sure: God is on your side. He is the One Who brought you into relationship with Him, and He is the One Who will change you.

 “God, thank You for Your forgiveness, for Your love, and for creating me with unique, valuable gifts and talents. Help me today to receive Your grace, see myself and others with Your eyes, and to celebrate what You’ve made. In Jesus’ name, amen.”

Authentically, Uniquely You

Free From Comparison

Do you enjoy being the person you are? Or do you compare yourself to others, trying to be someone you were never meant to be?

There was a time in my life when I constantly compared myself to other people, and I can tell you that it’s not worth it, my friend!

 

Years ago, before I ever taught God’s Word in public, I believed He was instructing me to teach a Bible study in my home.

Well, one of my pastors at the time disagreed with this idea and told my husband Dave that he should be doing the teaching in our home Bible study, not me.

So, Dave tried to teach, and I tried to be quiet—and it didn’t work. It’s amazing how miserable we can make ourselves trying to do what others think we should be doing! 

God had called Dave and I to do something that was certainly not the norm in those days, because He wanted to create something unique.

We just needed to obey. And guess what? It worked!

Forty-five years later, we’re still doing what God called us to do, and many people have come into His kingdom and been helped by His grace and mercy as a result. 

We are unique, which means we are not (and never were) meant to be like someone else.

God loves infinite variety, and when you take time to look at His creation, that becomes more and more evident. Authentically, Uniquely You!

I love watching nature shows because they remind me of His immensity and creativity and how awesome He is. 

Just think of all the different kinds of plants and flowers and insects and animals there are on this planet.

When I walk down my street, what makes the scenery so beautiful is that everything is not just alike. There are many kinds of trees, bushes, and flowers.

Although they’re all different, they complement each other perfectly, making something amazing to see and enjoy.

In the same way, we can celebrate our differences rather than wishing we were like someone else. Authentically, Uniquely You!

God loves to remind us that we are His one-of-a-kind masterpieces and that we’re precious to Him, and He’s singing encouragement over us all the time (see Zephaniah 3:17).

This means we don’t have to feel insecure anymore.

Insecurity comes from looking at our flaws, weaknesses, sins, and inabilities without also looking at our strengths and remembering that we are fearfully and wonderfully made.

Freedom from insecurity comes from looking to Jesus, the “pioneer and perfecter” of our faith, and aiming to be like Him, not other people (see Hebrews 12:2). 

When we are free from comparing ourselves with other people, life becomes much easier, more peaceful, and more joy filled. This also puts a smile on God’s face because He delights in our individuality and uniqueness.

 “Thank You God, for creating and calling me to a specific, beautiful purpose. Please help me to let go of insecurity and start see the value in myself that You see when You look at me. In Jesus’ name, amen.”

Authentically, Uniquely You

 

Made Right With God

Did you know that once you receive Jesus, you’ve been made the righteousness of God in Christ, regardless of what you have done wrong in the past (see 2 Corinthians 5:21)?

 It’s true!

This means that you have been “made right with God” and have perfect standing with Him. Now, this doesn’t mean all of your actions are right.

But because of God’s gift of grace, you can develop a close friendship with Him and be seen as perfect in His eyes. 

 

I spent many years living with the underlying fear that God was angry with me about something, even if I didn’t know what it was.

This fear also left me with a vague feeling of guilt, even though I couldn’t always point out what I felt guilty about.

Feelings like these are one of Satan’s lies and tactics that he uses to keep us from being close to God.

For a long time, I believed them, and they gave me a completely wrong perception of God and left a gap between us—a gap I tried to bridge with good works. And I always felt like I had to “earn” God’s love and forgiveness.

Also, I grew up with an angry, abusive father, and I’m sure that was the root of my fear and my belief that God was mad at me.

However, I loved the Lord and tried to live what I thought was a good Christian life, but my sins and mistakes—real or imagined—were always on my mind, accusing me and leaving me feeling guilty. 

However, even when we do sin and make mistakes, the Bible says we can go to God, repent for our sins, and ask for His forgiveness (see 1 John 1:9).

Then we can move forward feeling good about ourselves—without any nagging guilt.

You weren’t created to live with guilt, shame or a bad feeling that something is “not quite right.” God wants you to be confident and free—to be your authentic self! And you can only do that as you receive His love and forgiveness. Authentically, Uniquely You!  

Today I’m glad to report that I rarely, if ever, feel guilty, because I know it’s not God’s will for me, and my understanding of His love for me is always growing.

If you’ve received Jesus as your Savior, you can know today that God is not mad at you. He may not approve of everything you do, but He absolutely loves and approves of you as His child. 

I urge you to begin saying to yourself, “God is not mad at me! I am completely forgiven of all my sin and made right with God.”

Meditating on this truth and saying it verbally will help you build a new image of yourself—the one that God wants you to have.

If anyone accepts Jesus and begins a relationship with Him, they are a new creation altogether, and that includes you (see 2 Corinthians 5:17).

 “Jesus, thank You for paying the price for me to be made right with You! When I start to feel guilty, please help me remember that You’ve forgiven me, that You love me, and that I can come freely to You for the grace and strength I need.

 Each and every day, help me to receive Your love and acceptance so I can be the person You created me to be. In Jesus’ name, amen.”

Authentically, Uniquely You

Be Confident

Have you ever wondered: What’s the key to having real confidence—the kind that isn’t shaken, even when people disapprove of you?

I’ll give you a hint: It’s not in our own efforts. True confidence doesn’t begin with confidence in ourselves, but with confidence in God. 

When God called Joshua to replace Moses (after Moses’ death) and told him to take the Israelites into the Promised Land, He said something that I love:

No one will be able to stand against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you (Joshua 1:5 NIV).

God didn’t tell Joshua that he had to try to be like Moses.

He said, “As I was with Moses, so I will be with you.”

You see, when God is with us, it doesn’t matter what we lack because He will be our strength in our weakness (see John 15:5; 2 Corinthians 12:9). 

Taking the place of someone like Moses would have been a daunting task, and the pressure would have been crushing had Joshua not understood that he could receive God’s grace, relax and be himself rather than trying to do everything like Moses did. 

Authentically, Uniquely You!

When you find yourself in a new and challenging situation, do your best to let go of your desire to control and instead depend on God, because if He is with you, nothing else matters.

God chose and worked through many people who did not feel their natural abilities qualified for what He called them to do.

But when they found in Him the confidence to step out in faith, they did great and mighty things, and so will you.

Be bold, be strong, be confident, and let God amaze the world through you! 

“Thank You, Jesus, for Your promise to strengthen and stay with me in every situation. I trust You to empower me with Your grace and wisdom for everything You have for me to do today. In Jesus’ name, amen.”

Authentically, Uniquely You