Made for More
We’re made for more than this.
We’re made for more than comparison, for more than sleepless nights, constant studying, and feelings of inadequacy. We’re made for more than grades, pay raises and meeting other people’s expectations.
We’re made for more than emotional pain, more than constant want without constant need, constant achievement without the occasional mistake, constant receiving without constant giving.
We’re made for more than wealth and riches, prosperity without purpose. We’re made for more than endless cycles of sameness, for more than stress and sleep and guilt and more stress.
We’re made for more than this.
We are more than this.
What if I told you that the work you are doing day in and day out means something? That these ceaseless cycles could be beautiful, fulfilling, and wholesome; that your stress doesn’t make you weak and your weaknesses actually make you strong?
What if I told you that society has it all wrong? That we don’t have to live within society’s boxes; that we confine ourselves in its space thinking that confinement leads to success, meanwhile we miss out on the chance to see the fullness of what we’re really meant to be.
Not a professional, not a robot. Not the popular kid or a perfect example.
You are meant to be human.
~
Humans laugh, cry, and sleep (someone please say it again for the students in the back!).
They succeed, but not without letting their mistakes guide them to a place of even greater success.
They take jobs, but not at the expense of who they are.
They study, but not endlessly, mindlessly, and hopelessly - they study with purpose, setting aside time for the things and people that matter most.
They desire, but they don’t covet or obsess, because they know that the thing they want and whether or not they get it does not define them.
They take advice, but don’t live in other people’s expectations - they craft their own, letting the light of their beliefs and conscience shape their priorities.
They don’t do everything perfectly. They live. They live normal lives in an imperfect world and embrace the complexities that make them human.
We’ll never be anything if we don’t remember and reckon with who we really are. If we aren’t grounded in our worth as individuals - as living and breathing humans. Otherwise, all the things we do are just things. They hold no meaning. And eventually, they break us. Because a human can’t live like a robot forever - not without falling apart.
You see, we often call ourselves human, but we don’t live and feel and treat ourselves the way we were created to. We sacrifice our health, our sanity, our values, and our dreams on the altar of norms and opinions. We play puppet; puppet for our cultures, our families, our friends or significant others, even for ourselves. It doesn’t matter if that puppet is a sock or a masterpiece, it’s still a puppet nonetheless - it’s held captive, it lacks agency and autonomy, it’s dancing to someone else’s tune and living someone else’s vision. For puppets - that’s their job. But you weren’t made to be a puppet. We fool ourselves into thinking that we live autonomous lives when we’re really enslaved to the social, physical, emotional, and relational forces around us. And we waste our lives being operated by these puppeteers when we are called to be so, so much more.
We play puppet; puppet for our cultures, our families, our friends or significant others, even for ourselves...but you weren’t made to be a puppet.
Let’s cut the puppet strings. Is it scary to do so - yes? Because it means we have to redefine what we wake up for, strive for, and live for. But what’s at stake? Living life in others’ shadows may be comforting, but it’s not fulfilling. And friend, we only have one life to live. We just have to give ourselves permission to live it to the fullest.
Let’s accept the grace that’s freely offered to us, the permission to just be and live as growing, blossoming human beings created in the image of God. Because we’ll never lead joyful and fulfilling lives until we do.
Joyfully yours,
Bel
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