We just wrapped up a fantastic series celebrating women, but we wanted to take the liberty to sneak in one more. Spring is here, and not long after summer will be on its way. One of the things I am already observing is the conversations of women discussing their "summer bodies" and doing a lot of comparing. At this time of year it is not uncommon to hear women not only comparing themselves to each other, but also to their former selves. I'm not sure that as women, we understand how genuinely detrimental it is to our self-esteem and self-image to compare ourselves to others continually. We must evolve to a place where we celebrate our uniqueness. Instead of trading places with women who appear to have everything we think we want, we must be confident enough to WALK IN OUR OWN HEELS!
In our conversations where we constantly compare ourselves to others and secretly desire to trade places with them, we are harboring discontentment in our hearts. Discontentment eats away at our peace. It is hard to have peace when we are not content and satisfied with who and where we are. My sincere desire for all of you is to see you not only love God but also love yourselves, His workmanship. When you achieve healthy self-love and esteem, you no longer desire to be anyone else or walk in their shoes. Instead, you enjoy WALKING IN YOUR OWN HEELS.
You are God's masterpiece! "I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made, marvelous are Your works…" Psalm 139:14. This passage lets us know that God has handcrafted us and we are his marvelous works. Think about it. We are always singing and exclaiming that He does all things well. Do we truly process the fact that we are included in that? We offer Him praise when we honor and appreciate His handiwork. If you desire to be anything else, you express to God that what He created wasn't good enough; and we know everything He does is spectacular.
There is no else like you! Have you really thought about that? There is something unique and special you bring to the earth that not one soul can bring but you. When we spend time in the presence of God to discover what makes us unique, our self-esteem and self-love automatically increase. There is nothing as fulfilling as seeing what God gave you that He didn't give anyone else. Once you discover your unique factor, you can continue to enhance your esteem and self-love by cultivating that skill/ability and sharpening what you have. Just like any other type of investment, you will find that the more you invest in yourself, the more value you will feel. Your uniqueness will lead you to your purpose! "A man's gift makes room for him, and brings him before great men." Proverbs 18:16. The gifts and abilities that God has given you are a direct indicator of your purpose. Do you want to know why you are here and what you were created to do? Once you step into that purpose space that was personally designed just for you, you will never again feel the temptation to compare yourself to another sister or even desire to be her because you will be creating a life that you love. I heard a singer recently say in their song, "I was losing at being you, but I'm winning at being me." That line really stuck in my head. When we attempt to be like other people we will always be mere copy. Why would we settle for a copy when we are already an original masterpiece of our own? No one can be you like you can, so don't leave that spot unclaimed. Enjoy being you. The only person we should compare ourselves to is the person in the mirror and continuously making her better. Don't desire to be anyone else. Walk confidently in your own heels!
Tiffany Bethea is an award winning, bestselling author, international speaker, trained coach and consultant, ordained minister, worship leader and mompreneur. She is the founder of Kingdomboss through which she has provided a space for Christian entrepreneurs to learn to advance the kingdom of God in the marketplace. Her newest venture, Kingdomboss Publishing, is providing authors an opportunity to not only release a book but to spark a movement.
She is also a spiritual teacher and coach who works with believers on upgrading from their counterfeit existence to truly living the life God has predestined for them. She is passionate about helping people discover their true identity and maximize their potential. She resides in Baltimore with her son Jordan.
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Major Key🔑: When you achieve healthy self-love and esteem, you no longer desire to be anyone else or walk in their shoes. Instead, you enjoy WALKING IN YOUR OWN HEELS.