Savior I come
Quiet my soul - remember…
Redemption’s hill
Where Your blood was spilled…
For my ransom
Everything I once held dear
I count it all as lost

Lead me to the cross
Where Your love poured out
Bring me to my knees
Lord, I lay me down
Rid me of myself
I belong to You
Lead me, lead me to the cross

You were as I
Tempted and trialed
You are
The word became flesh
Bore my sin and death
Now You’re risen

Lead me to the cross
Where Your love poured out
Bring me to my knees
Lord, I lay me down
Rid me of myself
I belong to You
Lead me, lead me to the cross

To Your heart
To Your heart
Lead me to Your heart
Lead me to Your heart

*Recorded by Hillsong United

How do you define yourself?

This question is so loaded, but a simple thought spurned this question in my mind today. After spending a few weeks watching American Idol wind down, and a new reality show begin (So You Think You Can Dance), I watch as a “nobody” becomes a “somebody” in a very short time.

What makes a person famous?

At first you might think, well…they can sing really good.  Or, they can dance really good….or some other fabulous talent they might acquire. But they had this talent already, before the world saw it didn’t they?

What makes a singer like Colbie Caliat famous?  A little thing called Myspace.

So what makes someone famous?  Other people.  Whatever the medium that brought these people to attention, the fact is - they were brought to attention. The attention of thousands, millions. And it is by people that they were deemed “popular,” “famous,” or even…dare I say, “worthy?”

So what defines you?  Are you worthy?  Are you beautiful?  Are you acceptable?  How are these questions answered?  Unfortunately, in today’s world….the questions are answered by others.

We judge our worth, our value, our very essence of who we are, based on the acceptance and approval of others. It starts when we are children. Look at anyone with a troubled family life growing up. They are probably damaged because of how they view themselves based on how their parents loved or didn’t love them. We based our lives around others.

 Are you successful? Well, I guess it depends on who is saying so.

It’s the inevitable. We look to others for where we stand.

Somehow, though….we forget WHO really matters in all this. I was brought to this reality this week by my counselor (yes, I still get help). She said, “Why do you define yourself by others?” Um, do I?  I guess I do.  In fact, I know I do. Stepping back, and evaluating every time I felt like a failure, or no good, or not pretty enough, or not talented enough…it’s because someone made me feel that way (or I took it that way).

So how do we change this?

I’ve found I’ve had to go back to when God created us as humans. Six days of creation, and God spoke everything into existance. Think of a beautiful blue sky on a breezy day. Think of the rolling mountaintops covered by wildflowers. Think of wild mustangs as they run wild on the open plains….such beauty…and God spoke it all into existance.

But He MADE us. He formed us from the dirt. He touched us with His hands and formed our very being - in His image. He breathed His breath of life into us.

And THEN He rested.

We are good. We are His prized creation…..we are above everything else.

What a thought to think how beautiful and precious we are. So once again I have to ask…..

HOW do you define yourself?

My sweet Grandmom sent me this today, and it really blessed me!

——————

An elderly Chinese woman had two large pots, each hung on the ends of a pole which she carried across her neck.
One of the pots had a crack in it while the other pot was perfect and always delivered a full portion of water.

At the end of the long walks from the stream to the house, the cracked pot arrived only half full.

For a full two years this went on daily, with the woman bringing home only one and a half pots of water.

Of course, the perfect pot was proud of its accomplishments.

But the poor cracked pot was ashamed of its own imperfection, and miserable that it could only do half of what it had been made to do.

After two years of what it perceived to be bitter failure, it spoke to the woman one day by the stream. ‘I am ashamed of myself, because this crack in my side causes water to leak out all the way back to your house.’

The old woman smiled, ‘Did you notice that there are flowers on your side of the path, but not on the other pot’s side?’

‘That’s because I have always known about your flaw, so I planted flower seeds on your side of the path, and every day while we walk back, you water them.’

‘For two years I have been able to pick these beautiful flowers to decorate the table.

Without you being just the way you are, there would not be this beauty to grace the house.’

Each of us has our own unique flaw. But it’s the cracks and flaws we each have that make our lives together so very interesting and rewarding.

You’ve just got to take each person for what they are and look for the good in them.

SO, to all of my crackpot friends, have a great day and remember to smell the flowers on your side of the path!