Tuesday, March 23, 2010

Faithfulness - To thine own self be true


image courtesy of photobucket.com

"To be nobody-but-yourself—in a world which is doing its best, night and day, to make you everybody else—means to fight the hardest battle which any human being can fight; and never stop fighting." ~ e. e. cummings

"This is the true joy of life, the being used for a purpose recognized by yourself as a mighty one; the being a force of nature instead of a feverish little clod of ailments and grievances complaining that the world will not devote itself to making you happy." ~ George Barnard Shaw

"To thine own self be true, and it must follow, as the night the day, thou canst not then be false to any man." ~ William Shakespeare

"It is better to follow the Voice inside and be at war with the world, than to follow the ways of the world and be at war with your deepest self." ~ Michael Pastore

"Always be a first-rate version of yourself, instead of a second-rate version of somebody else." ~ Judy Garland

"If you have anything really valuable to contribute to the world, it will come through the expression of your own personality, that single spark of divinity that sets off and makes you different from every other living creature." ~ Bruce Barton

"What you really have to do, if you want to be creative, is to unlearn all the teasing and censoring that you've experienced throughout your life. If you are truly a creative person, you know that feeling insecure and lonely is par for the course. You can't have it both ways: You can't be creative and conform, too. You have to recognize that what makes you different also makes you creative. " ~ Arno Penzias, 1978 Nobel Prize winner for physics


For the most part, I enjoy being me. I now understand after years of fighting to be like someone else, it was never God's intention that I be anyone but myself. I fought it for years, seeing only my shortcomings and rarely my strengths. But somewhere along the way, I figured out God can use our weaknesses just as well (and sometimes better) as our strengths. It's not always easy being me, just as I'm sure it's not always easy being you. But I believe to be comfortable in your own skin, to accept the person God made you to be, allows you to serve Him and others.

God gave you your own light to shine in this dark world, be faithful to that light and not only will your own light shine, but you will better reflect His.

***

This post was written for the One Word Blog Carnival: Faithfulness hosted by Bridget Chumbley. To read more posts, please visit her at One Word at a Time.

22 comments:

♥ Kathy said...

Great post Kathy and a reminder to me at a perfect time

Glynn said...

Sometimes it takes courage - or least a lot of understanding and maybe some tears -- to see yourself as God sees you. It's at that point that the learning can start. Good post, Kathy.

Bonnie Gray said...

"Somewhere along the way, I figured it out..."

Can you write a post about how? :)

I'm always challenged and inspired when you talk about this.

More, please... ? :)

Janet Oberholtzer said...

Love this - the quotes and your thoughts!

The ironic thing is as we learn to know and enjoy ourselves more - we love and enjoy others more, rather then wanting to change them.

Billy Coffey said...

Loved these quotes. It's quite a challenge to be oneself given that we alone are aware of all the horrible things we think and do on a daily basis. But I'm getting there. I'm getting there...

Helen said...

I suddenly feel like painting a wall purple!

Maureen said...

Good post, Kathy. I particularly like the Judy Garland quote.

What fascinates me is figuring out where we get this notion that we have to be someone else, where it starts, how it takes hold, what we have to do to re-become who we are.

Gigi said...

big THANK YOU for this.....

Kelly Sauer said...

I have so many of those quotes in my quote collection - I so get this...

Kathleen Overby said...

This was needed today. Much. Nice devo, Diva.

Melissa_Rae said...

I agree with Bonnie...can you tell me how to do this? Or is that something each person needs to learn kn their own. :)

jasonS said...

Oh yeah, I understand this. It's bad enough when I have tried to be someone else, but then there are other people who want you to be someone else (many times with good intentions). Ain't gonna happen! Like you said, God made me for a reason. I can shine a light and I'm going to do it His way and trust Him.

Great post!

Anonymous said...

"it was never God's intention for me to be anyone but myself."

If we all get to that point and really believe it... wow!

Loved the quotes, as well as your own wise words, Kathy.

Louise Gallagher said...

Love this post -- love the idea of being faithful to my own light shining bright!

Very cool!

Louise

Elaina M. Avalos said...

Thanks. Love this.

Sandra Heska King said...

It's taken me a long time to figure out *who* I am, let alone accept myself (and others) with flaws and all. God knew what He was doing with each one of us, and He sees us as masterpieces. His strength can shine through our weaknesses. I guess that's what's supposed to keep us dependent on Him.

Thought-provoking post.

Anonymous said...

This is beautiful, Kathy. Thank you.

richd said...

This is an interesting view. I tend to think that being faithful to myself is the first step on a road to disaster. But it's cool to think about who I am as a follower of Jesus, and then being faithful to that unique identity.

Thanks for a thought-provoking perspective.

Fatha Frank said...

Great post! Love the quotes and "God never intended me to be anyone but myself." How true and encouraging!

Joyce said...

I too wonder where the notion comes from that we need to be something other than who we are...it starts young I guess. Parents hold some power here and need to wield it in a positive way. But it's our peers too, and the media, and culture, and the fact that we live in an imperfect world. Great thoughts...loved all the quotes.

Mary Aalgaard said...

These are all great quotes. I'm especially drawn to the one by Arno P. It is what makes us different that makes us creative. Your words of wisdom and reflection are also great, honest and helpful. I have a plaque that says: Why try so hard to fit in when you were born to stand out.

Mary Aalgaard said...

These are all great quotes. I'm especially drawn to the one by Arno P. It is what makes us different that makes us creative. Your words of wisdom and reflection are also great, honest and helpful. I have a plaque that says: Why try so hard to fit in when you were born to stand out.