Let Me Be Me

Growing up in a church seems so easy since it feels like everyone is looking for God in the same ways as you until you realize that it is hard to express yourself, without being judged.

When I was younger I used to be able to walk into church and feel safe. There were a bunch of kids, teens and young adult and it was so easy to fit in. But as the years went on, people left, and the numbers of children and youth decreased. I found myself being one of the only girls my age in a large group of guys and it made me feel like I had no friends. I started hanging out with the younger girls and prayed to be accepted into their group.

As I got older and was finishing middle school and starting high school, my friends outside of the church wanted me to be like them and experiment with drugs, sex and drinking. I knew in my heart that God didn’t want that for me, so I didn’t go down that path, but still keep those girls as my friends.

The church found out about what my ‘outside’ friends were doing and thought I was partaking in on the action. Due to this, I then became judged by everyone and no one would let me show them who I really was.

As young people in todays society it is so easy to say, I want to fit in, I want to be the girl everyone likes, I want to be noticed.

As Christians, this maybe hard since God tells us to live His way and not the way of the world. As Christians, we need to accept others and help them, not judge them and push them away.

The Bible says ‘Do not judge others, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own? How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.’ Matthew 7:1-5

God does not want us to judge each other, rather He wants us to help each other grow more and more daily.

Even Jesus said, “Let anyone of you who is without sin be the first to throw the stone at her.” John 8:7

We all sin, therefore no one has the right to judge. And no one has the right to make up who you are and write our stories for us. We must stand strong against bullying and accept anyone into our churches as that is what God would want.

So, lets stand together as young woman of Christ, and take a stand to be ourselves and to let other be themselves as well.

Because inside each one of us, there’s a girl yelling let me be me.