Do you remember those brightly coloured shape sorting toys where each shape had a hole that it fitted into? I clearly remember the frustration of my kids when they tried unsuccessfully to hammer a rectangle shape into a round hole. One child in particular would declare that the toy ” wasn’t working”. When she managed to get the shape into correct hole, the toy was suddenly fixed!

We all have a God created shape.Not just the physical shape but so much more. The way we think, respond to stimuli, the way we speak, show emotion, figure things out. The way we see ourselves and the world around us, the way we handle obstacles and challenges. The way we communicate, stand up for ourselves, process information, react to offences. These are just some of the many things that shape us.

There is a very interesting test that categorises our personalities into 9 different types. These can be mixed with other numbers. This is quite accurate but it cannot be 100% so. We are each created in the image of God, unique and completely loved by Him. We cannot be defined by a number on a man made test.

Whatever our personalities, characteristics or unique quirks- there is one sure thing: You are the only You that God created. Your “you-ness” is as unique as your DNA.

If you are trying to squeeze yourself into a space or type that you were not designed for, take a step back and remember this : in order for a square peg to fit into a round hole, the corners would be the first bits that would have to be removed. Thereafter, possibly the flat sides. By the time it fits , it will have to closely resemble a round shape or be cut into a much smaller square which will get into the hole but will not fit it properly.

The message here is clear- what are you taking off of who you are to fit into a place where you were never designed to be? Or a circle friends that you were never meant to be a part of? How long will it be until you realise that you cannot function properly without those unique and discarded parts of YOU? What sacrifice are you prepared to make to be someone other than You?

Masquerading as a character is fine for a moment or two but to make it a lifestyle will be exhausting even if you believe the lie you’ve created. Truth has a funny way of catching up to us no matter how hard we try to deny it. Its in your every cell. You can run as far and as fast as you like but you will never get away from your real identity or from the One who created it.

Find where you are meant to be. Search for the people who will love and accept the you with all your parts intact. Do not compromise when it comes to authenticity. Clean out the closet of things/ideals/friends that do not belong in your life. Be brutal and make clean breaks – then breathe deeply and begin this new year with new goals, walking paths that were specially designed for your feet and in the company of the right people who will inspire you to be the best version of YOU- everything intact!

Yet you, Lord, are our Father.
    We are the clay, YOU are the potter;
    we are all the work of your hand. Isaiah 64:8

For you created my inmost being;
    you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
I praise you because I am FEARFULLY and WONDERFULLY made. Psalm 139:13-14

For we are His WORKMANSHIP [His own master work, a work of art], created in Christ Jesus….Ephesians 2:10