Diversity Is A Good Thing

I’ve been doing a lot of journaling for the last couple of days. I’m trying to work through a relationship problem that has been weighing heavily on me. The realizations I have come to are not new ideas but are so simple that sometimes we just need to be reminded of them.

God created us as individuals with our own likes and dislikes. That’s what makes life so interesting. How exciting would the world be if we all were good at the same thing, we all liked the same things, and we all thought the same way? We need to rejoice and encourage one another in our diversities. Which brings me back to my problem of someone who is trying to make me into the image of who they want me to be.

I think I need to indulge myself right now in those things that bring me joy in life. The more I’m able to do that to strengthen my own identity, the better I’ll be able to not get down when I don’t measure up to someone else’s idea of who I should be. Writing all this down helps me to realize that I don’t want to be the kind of person who makes others feel less than they are. I want to help others discover the good and the beauty in themselves that is uniquely their own.

We cannot be who God intends for us to be if our lives are so enmeshed in someone else’s life that the two cannot be separated. We honor God best when we maintain our own unique identities and we are able to appreciate and love others because of, not despite, their differences.

I think I’m going to get outdoors and take some photos today.