Own Your Awkward… and a Happy New Year!

I’m thinking about you today.
Yep. You.
But don’t be creeped out.
It’s not like I know your every move, like Santa, or Alexa, or Sting or anything.
Cause that would be weird.
But I know you’re here, reading this, right now. Maybe you’ve even read other stuff here and there, or listened to a podcast or two. So that means you’re a real person. Or I suppose you could a Bot, in which case, perhaps I should know your every move, as you probably know mine…

Anyway, where was I?
Oh yeah, thinking. About you. Grateful that you have been a part of this little Misfit Community, whether you’ve been hanging out the whole time, or just stumbled your way here today.
And I wanted to talk to you specifically.
Is that even possible?
I dunno.
But here I am. And here you are. So let’s give it a try. Here goes:

You are amazing.

And not in a generic way, either; oh no, you my friend, are specifically amazing. And by amazing, I mean “causing astonishment, great wonder, or surprise” (cause that’s what Webster means, and who are we to argue with a whole dictionary?)

The very fact that you are in existence is a cause for great wonder and astonishment. Do you have any idea the infinitesimal chances that went into the making of you… the timing… the meeting up of all the right parts from a myriad of combinations that could have resulted in the making of millions of other not-quite-you‘s? Astonishing seems as appropriate a word as any to describe it.

And that’s just getting you here. We haven’t even begun to talk about all the amazing you-ness that makes you specifically who you are. You bring things to the table that no one else does. Your talents. Your insight. Your humor. Your quirks. All of it. We need it. Seriously. Now more than ever; which is very convenient, cause in all of history, now is when you happen to be here. I love how that works out.

You have a purpose.

Not a generic one, either. A specific one. Do I know what it is? Nope. But I do know that all those talents, thoughts, quirks and whatnot aren’t here for nothing. You’re impacting people around you, whether it’s millions, or one, or any random number in between (and don’t underestimate the importance of the one, my friend… cause that one might be me!) Of course, living out that purpose is risky. It requires offering yourself, to OWN YOUR AWKWARD, and that takes courage.

And just in case you’re asking what does she even mean by that?, thank you for the segue; here y’go: Own Your Awkward, at least in my little neck of the woods means simply, to own (ie, take responsbility for) who you are, and what you do. All of it. The great parts. The cringy parts. All the parts. Because until you can do that, you’re not really offering yourself, and until you can offer yourself, you can’t really grow. So please, by all means, own your awkward, and grow, Grow, GROW.

Offer your FULL self!

Sure, you might be misunderstood. You might even fail. In fact, you will fail, let’s just get that on the table right now. And there are some people out there who, though amazing in their own right, are caught up in their own world of self loathing and looking for company; don’t listen to them. Listen to the people who care enough to tell you what’s in your best interest. Seek those people out.  Whenever you can, go out of your way to show kindness, not just to the people who are easy to be kind to, but the hard ones, too; they need it most.   DON’T stop developing your strengths. And don’t ignore your weaknesses. Some of them are strengths in disguise. Most of all, DON’T give up on yourself. EVER. It’s all part of your purpose; because the truth is, you have much to contribute… and you also have a whole lot-o-learning to do. And that’s a good thing.

Which brings me to my next thought.

You are greatly flawed

Sorry.
Not sorry.
Actually, that should be a great source of relief for you.
Who needs all that pressure to be perfect?
Let’s face it,as mentioned above, y’quirky. And that’s delightful.
At the same time, however… not all your quirks are so very cute. Some of them are, how shall we say? Um, destructive. Yeah, that’s the word. How do I know this? I mean, we’ve already established, unlike Alexa, Sting and the Bots, I’m not watching you (as far as you know) but… I do know myself… and all my own not-so-very-cuteness… and I know I’m not alone. There are things I need to work on. Things that are too big to work on, actually. That are over my head and my little self help ways. Way, way over. Things I need to be Rescued from. And if I need it, I’m thinking you do, too. That’s where Jesus comes in. So it’s kind of a Bad News/Good News deal, because to put it in terms much more eloquent than mine:

“... we are more sinful and flawed in ourselves than we ever dared believe, yet at the very same time we are more loved and accepted in Jesus Christ than we ever dared hope.”

Tim Keller

Free rescues for everyone who can’t rescue themselves? Not a bad deal!

Maybe you’re on board with all that. Or maybe not- yet. Either way, you are still amazing. Because you were made that way. On purpose. For a purpose.

So my hope for you, as we close out this year and forge into the next, is that you continue to find out what that purpose is. That you keep owning your beautiful, amazing awkward; and in doing so, keep becoming who you are meant to be. Because we need you. I know I do.

And I really, truly appreciate you being here.

Happy New Year!

XO