You are you!!

Ever trying being someone else but end up being you again? Do you get what I mean? Many times we try to imitate someone else. We try to serve in the same area of ministry as them, act like them, and even talk like them, just to find out that we can’t be like them.

The truth is, WE ARE DIFFERENT!! No one is totally identical, not even identical twins. All of us are created in a unique way for a unique purpose. In the Church, there are pastors, evangelists, administrators, teachers etc. (1 Corinthians 14:28). Though they have a different purpose, one thing is for sure—they are all equally important. Imagine a church without someone doing the administrative work, such as printing out church bulletins, ushering and multimedia, can a church function well? Certainly not!

What happens when we try to be someone else? First, it is a slap on God’s face. When we try being someone we are not meant to be, we’re actually saying that God has made a mistake in creating us. It’s like telling God, “God, You should have created me this way, that way, or like so and so.” However, whether we accept ourselves or not, the truth is, God never makes mistakes. When God created you, it is said in Jeremiah 1:4 that “Before I (God) formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were set apart; I appointed you (Jeremiah) as a prophet.” That’s the fact. God created us and knows every detail of us. He knows how we are going to look like. He knows how we are going to serve Him one day. Before we were born, God has already reserved a place for us in a particular ministry. God chose Jeremiah to be a prophet. That’s his calling.

Do you know what actually caused man to fall in the Garden? In Genesis, when Adam and Eve fall into the deception of Satan, they were actually deceived that if they were to eat the fruit, they will be like God. They had forgotten that God created them to be human beings and there is no way they can be God. And because Adam and Eve could not accept themselves for who they are, they sinned.

Next, we might miss the whole purpose of our lives. God created man for fellowship, that we might worship Him and glorify Him. We are meant to last eternally. But because of the Fall, the purpose for man to live eternally is gone. That is why Jesus had to come that we might have eternal life. But you see, it wasn’t meant to be that way. When we try to be someone else, we are so focused on our ‘aim’ that we lose the whole purpose of our calling. Bishop T.D Jakes (Founder of The Potter’s Touch Ministries) once said that “If I don’t get THIS, it’s because God has THAT which is so much better.” We don’t know what God has in store for us, for His ways are not our ways, neither are His thoughts our thoughts (Isaiah 55:8). When we try to be someone we are not meant to be, we miss our purpose. Please note that it is not wrong to desire for the spiritual gifts, in fact, cultivate them (1 Corinthians 12:31). It’s just the fact that we are called for a different purpose in His kingdom.

Some people get hurt because they were not used in a way they thought they would be used. They think that God is not eager in using them. That is a lie. God wants to use each of us, just in different ways. People addicted to approval are never happy because they cannot be ‘original’. They dislike themselves and always seek to make others happy.

Think about it; if an army does not have nurses, what will happen to the wounded soldiers- who will attend to their wounds? Or, in a basketball match, if there are no referees, can the game go on? Nurses and referees are as important as the Chief Commander and the players; they just serve a different purpose.

Whatever gifting that God has given you, make full use of them. You might never know how God will use you to bless others through the gifts that He has given you. Never underestimate your gifts and abilities. Allow God to use you.

Last but not least, BE YOURSELF! Do not try to conform to what people are doing or what people want you to do. Do not be addicted to approval (Read Joyce Meyer’s Approval Addiction) so that you will be accepted by them. Be the person God wants you to be. You will be amazed at how God can use you just by being yourself!