DIARY OF A CHRISTIAN WOMAN: Being comfortable in your own skin

By: Gabrielle

June 18, 2010

Let the world know you as you are, not as you think you should be, because sooner or later, if you are posing, you will forget the pose, and then where are you? Being a Christian woman has its difficulties, and depending on the scenario it takes more self assurance to live successfully in this society than any other woman in this world. Becoming comfortable with yourself can mean many things, but all of them involve feeling, thinking, knowing exactly who you are, and understanding you will never be perfect. When you can really be okay with yourself as a person, you can start to improve upon the individual characteristics that make you unique.

Stage 1) Addressing the issues-

“Hello my name is Bob, and I am an alcoholic” We are familiar with the statement used in an Alcoholics Anonymous Organization. The first stage is acknowledging that you have a problem. Christian people are in denial about this first stage because many of us would like to believe that we don’t have any major issues. Well, I’m sorry to break it to you but we all do. From Pastors, Elders, Deacons, and Choir members alike we all are in need of repentance, and purification by the Blood of Jesus. It troubles me to see people acting as if they are better than others in the church. Every human being regardless of gender, race, religious involvement, or economic background has sinned. We were born into sin, so stop trying to deny that very undeniable truth. Last time I checked, we have all fallen short of the glory of God.

Allowing what other people think and/or say to influence who you become is a danger that you should be mindful of. Trying to live up to other people’s expectations can be a strenuous and tedious task. We live in a society that demands perfection. Women/Men are being pressured to conform to a “cookie cutter” type of image that is unattainable for many by natural means. People tend to get caught up trying to over compensate for what they lack, or have not embraced within themselves. Models are pressured to be the skinniest; Christians try to be obnoxiously spiritual, and overly sanctimonious with their “holier-than-thou” attitude; business men buy the nicest car, and spend the most money to impress their colleagues without weighing the consequences. Until we really sequester ourselves from the world, we will never allow God to command our full attention, and when ever Gods not leading there is a serious problem. If you want to change, you must first understand why you feel the way you do. Feelings can lead you to act in self-defeating ways. If you fill your head with depressing and negative thoughts and you allow yourself to feel shameful and angry feelings, you will never be able to act confidently. As children of God it is in our design to be confident in whom we are because we are made in Gods image.

Hebrews 4:14-16 ^“Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has gone through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet was without sin. Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”

Jesus was not spared temptation. He welcomed it, tackled it, and persevered through them all. He had confidence in God, and himself- never letting the outside world dictate who He was; instead He shaped everything else through his confidence. “Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence”… Where is your confidence? I urge you all to evaluate who/where you are in life. Sometimes it’s necessary to start back at step 1 in order to fully grasp the big picture. Being comfortable in your own skin does not mean that you accept anything- it means that you’re consciously aware of your imperfections, and you are prayerful- bring them before God, and allow him to mold you into the person He would have you to be.

-Gabrielle