Uniquely You

Most of us have been raised with a performance mentality where we are judged for what we do rather than accepted for who we are. We have been raised to look right, do good, shun uniqueness and fear failure. Through our desire to fit the mould, we fail to discover our true identity and give expression to the uniqueness of who we were created to be.

Understanding the gospel of grace however radically transforms our perceptions and our lifestyle. The grace that God showers upon us, not only proclaims our acceptance, but validates our uniqueness. We are His workmanship (Ephesians 2:10) created for something special that He designed for our fulfilment and pleasure. In Him, we are free to be who we are.

Our uniqueness showcases the creativity of our Designer and celebrates the grace of God in our lives. The performance mentality however encourages comparison. Someone else’s performance or standard becomes our benchmark that we are trying to attain. When we embrace the uniqueness God designed for us, we no longer feel threatened by the performance of others.  

Grace frees us not only from conformity, but also from the fear of failure. Grace shifts the focus from what we do, to who we become. This theology sounds fine to our ears, until we make a mistake. That is when we discover if we truly believe the freedom of grace.

Often it is in the midst of a mess that we are most open to hear His voice. God does not cause failure or delight in setbacks. He is however more concerned about who we are and our heart towards Him, than He is about the perfection of our actions or the correctness of our choices. Right choices and correct actions are important, but they are the natural fruit of having our hearts right before Him.

Wherever you are at, God loves you and His grace abounds towards you (Ephesians 1:8). Let God’s grace free you from conformity and the fear of failure. Stop fearing you will fail, step out and be uniquely you.