Choose to be who God made you to be!

In a world where you can be almost anything, choose to be who God made you to be...be YOU! One thing that I have learned about myself over the years is that I am drawn to genuine people. People who are exactly who they are! No pretense, no charades, no fake veneer with something to prove....just simple, plain, ordinary, "this is who I am…like it or not” people! As strange as it may seem, the two groups of people who fit in this category are generally…children and elderly adults. People who are exactly who they are, and they don’t care if you like it or not. What you see is generally what you get! They are who they are! They aren’t one person when they are around you and a completely different person when they are around someone else. They tell you straight to your face (hopefully lovingly…but not always)…they do not talk about you behind your back. A child will tell you exactly how it is…usually without a filter. They will tell you how they feel and what they think...even though it may hurt at times. They have nothing to prove. They sense when you are down and they do something about it...they give you a hug or an “I love you” to cheer you up. They simply want to love and be loved. They are who they are! Tactlessness and all! Elderly adults are much the same...except they have a little more tact (most of the time). They possess a LIFETIME of KNOWLEDGE; which they will gladly share. Many elderly adults have experienced hardships in their lives, hardships that we have never had to endure...or could even imagine. They have endured the depression, wars, diseases and, famines but you won’t hear them complaining. It is through these hardships that they become strong individuals. Our elderly adults are some of the strongest people that you will ever meet. They have an inner strength that the generations coming up do not possess. They have knowledge that the generations coming up do not have. They have a peace that the generations coming up do not have. They are survivors, hard workers, providers, defenders, encouragers and those who have paved the way for generations to come. They say “thank you” and “you’re welcome.” They are some of the first to offer a hand……or give you a hug when you are down! They have nothing to prove…they have proven themselves through hard work, providing for their family, and faithfully serving the Lord. They simply are who they are! Don't miss your opportunity to sit with, talk to and learn from our elderly adults. Ask them questions, learn from their mistakes, learn from their successes, grow through their experiences. In this world; where you can be anything that you want to be, choose to be a genuine, honest, caring person…with nothing to prove. Don’t be a manufactured facsimile of someone who is already a manufactured facsimile of someone else. We are called individuals...not carbon copies...for a reason. God did not make you from a mold...He did not give you the same experiences as someone else...He has not gifted you with the same gifts and talents as someone else. He gave you your own unique set of gifts and talents. Use them to be exactly what God intended you to be...YOU! Special, original, unique, different...YOU! Be who God made you to be...the real deal! Don’t act out of selfish ambition or be conceited. Instead, humbly think of others as being better than yourselves. Philippians 2:3 I have prayed for each of you this morning! Keep doing the incredible job that you are doing!!!