We Are Who We Are

When you're a child you are filled with hope. Everything in the world is perfect, everything you do is rooted for. The more unique you are, the more people notice. To see a child be creative and unlike his or her peers is a blessing - a gift. You are taught to hold on to it... but not for long.

As you get older, that outlook changes. You are no longer celebrated for being unique, you are looked down on. You are the weird kid. You are the freak. You are the kid that everyone makes fun of. Even the other parents look at you oddly, telling their kids it's okay to no longer be your friend. Is that fair?

So much pressure is put on children from even the youngest of ages. Kids are forced to adapt. Being unique is no longer cool. You need to be cool, popular, one step ahead of the pack. You begin to lose yourself, and soon enough your innocence. What made you you slowly begins to slip away into the shadows.

When you get to grade school this happens. Kids don't want to be your friend unless you are someone they can look up to. Are you good at sports? Are you funny? Do you have money? Can you be main man on the playground? If not, then your life is going to be difficult. You are going to be picked on. Your only friends will be your fellow classmates that are equally looked down on,  your family and your dog. Sad isn't it?

Then comes middle school and finally high school. The stakes are raised. If you are a star athlete, you are set. You can have a few nuts and bolts that are a little loose and no one will notice. You are cool. You are the star QB of the football team, the Point Guard of the basketball team. All the girls want you, everyone wants to be your friend. But is it worth it? Are you happy? Is this really who you are? The boy who used to love playing Power Rangers with his friends is now the guy that is constantly hosting parties when his family is away, trying his hardest to score with the popular girls to pad up his stats. Or you are the head cheerleader that has to go after the most popular guy in school to stay one step ahead of the rest. Is that really who you are?

But let's be fair. There are the kids that stay true to who they are. They stay steadfast in themselves. They know that being unlike everyone else is what is important. Being them is what they were born for. They are special. They will succeed. People can learn from them.

God created us for a purpose. He loves us for who we are, not for what people think we are. He knows us and he loves us. So why is it so important for kids to be cool? Why can't they just be themselves? The world would be a better place, a happier place. A place with much less pain and sorrow. Instead we have people resent their lives - who they really are underneath - all because they feel they aren't good enough. But what they need to realize is that they are perfect in God's eyes. Satan uses our fears against us, and uses his evil on those who surround us. He tries to pin us down with our insecurities. But we can't let him.

The world is filled with greatness. People just don't take the time to realize it. I think it's about time that we start looking at each other as individuals - not a clique, not a label. We are who we are because of God. And in that sense, we are perfect.

Don't be afraid of being who you are. We are who we are for a reason.