There could be many reasons to want to be someone or something we weren’t supposed to be. Perhaps someone convinced you that you were the ugliest person. Maybe someone told you that you’d never amount to anything. Or maybe you doubt the dreams and talents that God gave you. I have dealt with similar words, thoughts and feelings.

There isn’t one popular magazine that doesn’t air brush and photoshop their featured model. They all do it and in some cases, it is very obvious. In a world obsessed with an unachievable standard of beauty, I am not a bit surprised to see young women going to extreme measures and forming unhealthy habits to reach “perfection”. We have been conditioned to live discontent with who we are. In some cases we adjust our hobbies, likes, and dreams to fit a mold of some sort.

The truth is, we were created to run in our own lane. We run the same race of life, but we run it, in our lane. We don’t do justice to our talents, unique personalities and specific calling, when we are constantly trying to live like someone else. We don’t do justice to who God made us to be, when we can’t love ourselves for who we are.

A few weeks ago, I decided to change my hair. It was a drastic change; to the point where people didn’t recognize me. I was on the fence to go through with it, but I said to myself, “Do you want to do this for you, or for others?; Do you want to change your hair or are you nervous about what others might think or say?” Might seem silly, might seem minuscule but it was something I had to do for myself. It was my way of saying, “Ok, I will be me”. I believe that when you act and live in the essence of who God created you to be, there is nothing to be afraid of, there is nothing to hide. Being genuine goes a long way. And the people around you will notice. They may not recognize you at first, but it will be worth it in the end. There is a feeling of freedom and satisfaction that you achieve when you live your life loving you, for you, and walking out the calling God placed on your life at your own pace.

Looking at the way others live, looking at what other have or don’t have, doubting ourselves because we don’t have it all together yet, can hinder the way we run our race. One of the most important things in running a race, is running steady, focused and keeping your destination in mind.

I am going to run my race and I’m going to run it right. I will run it the way God wants me to run it, without looking to my left or right. I will keep my eye on the prize, which is Christ.

“Be you, enjoy the things you like, laugh the way only you laugh, speak the words only you can speak, wear your hair the way you like, live your life, be who you were meant to be”. As Rhi-Rhi would say “Just live your life”.

“It’s in Christ that we find out who we are and what we are living for. Long before we first heard of Christ and got our hopes up, He had His eye on us, had designs on us for glorious living, part of the overall purpose he is working out in everything and everyone”. Ephesians 1:11-12 (MSG)

Have you ever felt discontent with who you are or with the way your life looks? What are some steps you can take today, to live life with contentment?