Know Who You Are...and Be THAT Person

One of my great relatives passed away recently and I was reading her obituary only to find out many things I didn't know about her.  From her love of riding horses, to her artistic ability in painting, and even that she had an accomplished dancing career in New York City before meeting her husband.  I always knew her as the wife of my Great Uncle, and knew that she played golf with him and they enjoyed their time there.  I knew that they moved to Florida from New York, but I knew very little about their time in New York.  What I came to understand is that she loved her husband so much, that she began to do some of the things that he enjoyed doing so that she could be with him and have that time with him.  But it also became clear that a lot of the things she was passionate about loved doing took a back-seat as she picked up other activities with him.So there are two ways I can use this story...1. Sacrifice for Love2. IdentityIm going to focus on the second one...Identity.  Also, if you look back to March 19, my good friend Alecia wrote on the same topic, so I'd encourage you to read that as well.  Maybe in the coming weeks I'll come back to the sacrifice piece, but I didn't want you to think I just didn't notice it, as it is a major part of the life of my Great Aunt.Very soon after I read this message, I heard a pastor from my church speak on identity and he said a phrase that I will try to re-create..."you are really good at being yourself...and really bad at being other people."Just picture a Karaoke Bar.  Those people attempting to sing are really BAD at singing someone else's song.The story from the bible that can be used here is that of David and Goliath (1 Samuel 17). When David went up to fight Goliath, the king tried to get him to put on armor and carry a big sword.  But David knew that was not his style.  He knew who he was and how he would be most effective against the giant.  He was so confident in who he was and more importantly in who God IS, that he only took what he needed and went on to defeat Goliath.Verse 38-39: Then Saul dressed David in his own tunic. He put a coat of armor on him and a bronze helmet on his head. 39 David fastened on his sword over the tunic and tried walking around, because he was not used to them. “I cannot go in these,” he said to Saul, “because I am not used to them.” So he took them off. God created us each with a specific set of talents and abilities.  We are each beautiful in His eyes and no matter what anyone tells you, that will never change.  Know that you have things about you that NO ONE else has, and you are the ONLY ONE that can do certain things. The world tries to tell us to be like everyone else, and to fit into a certain mold, but God tells us to be who He made us to be and use the ability and weapons He gave us to defeat the giants in our lives.Now I don't want you to get the wrong impression here...Don't think that you can't learn new things throughout your life or change based on those you are with (family, husband, wife, etc.).  But I do want to encourage you never to completely give up something that you have a true God-given passion for, no matter what! It is God-Given for a reason!May people remember you for showcasing and utilizing the passion that God gave to you to the best of your ability!