Who are you? No really, who are you? Not what is your name, nor what do you look like, but WHO are you?
Are you superwoman? Are you Spiderman? Are you Goofy? Are you Inspector Gadget?
Did you notice when I said those names they conjured up an image and characteristics for each of those characters. You may not think you are as strong as superman, or able to climb buildings like spiderman, but instead, you may be the one who rushes in to help when others won’t like superman. Maybe you work to find ways to help the weak and vulnerable like Spiderman or maybe you like to see others around you laugh and you are a master with jokes.
Have you ever noticed how you might be one way at work, another way at home, and yet another with friends or family? Sometimes that is because of the group of folks we are with we will have certain characteristics stand out more than others. For instance, you may not be a jokester at work, but you sure are with your friends and family.
Who you are, are those traits most folks often identify you with. So if you were to ask 5 different people to describe you, you will see a pattern. I am often described as tenacious, strong, wise, intelligent, caring and generous. I notice no one ever says funny, maybe because I can only tell 2 jokes well and am not fast witted. I don’t need to be mad, upset, or depressed because I’m not funny. It’s ok.
Did you hear that it’s OK! For the most part I have felt very comfortable being me, even if it meant dealing with consequences because it is just who I am. I was willing to walk through those consequences good and bad because I stayed true to myself. Sometimes that meant I was put in charge of others or asked to teach something, other times it meant I was spending time in the principal’s office until he and I could figure out a way to better put my skills to use 😉
As I grow older, I am always striving to become the best version of me. To do that it takes time, it takes evaluating, meditating, and being open to exhortation or even rebuke. I am a constant work in progress and I am totally fine with that. The sooner we all accept that, the sooner we might see more grace towards one another. If I screw up today, and you respectfully communicate that to me, so that I can fix it moving forward, not only do you show that you care about our relationship and you want it to continue, but you allow me to become better as well.
That is what community is all about. Not just about support, but also about iron sharpening iron so we all get better and have more full lives. I love this pic of my niece because she is a crazy strong young lady and has no idea because she is not really hearing it, so whenever I am around others, I try to make it a point to say something when I see something that someone else is doing well and praise it and thank them. Maybe if we all did that, there would be alot less negative and we would all enjoy that!
