Bruce Jenner
I think most would agree that we all have a story to tell. It is our job to tell our story in such a way that it creates hope for others. This week we saw Bruce Jenner share his life journey in a story that will stir controversy and hope for years to come. Regardless how you view it I think it was courageous for him to place his inner most secrets on public display at this late stage in life. I use this story today as the benchmark for those that think their lives are insignificant or ruffling the feathers of societal norms is not worth the effort.
I would like to go back in time to a place where dictators ruled and to NOT conform was dealt with in ways much harsher than we could imagine. This was a time when fitting in was much more acceptable than standing out. Yet stand out is exactly what Jesus did. He not only bucked the system, he challenged people to follow him, stand up for their individuality, and promote peace and love. Without me going into detail you know much of the story and how much hope it still provides to this day. Am I comparing Bruce Jenner to Jesus? Yes, in fact I am.
Bruce Jenner, like each of us, was created in the likeness and image of God. With that creation was the hope to make a difference and too allow your life to matter. When we spend our time fitting in we lose some, not all, of our uniqueness that was placed in us from birth. Had Mr. Jenner chosen to live out his days exactly the way he always had, he would have still been remembered as a great athlete, loving father, and genuinely a good person. BUT now that he has placed his secrets on public display his life will forever be changed in the hearts and minds of many. Certainly there will be polarity. Many will hate him and many will love him, hence the days of Jesus. But, and this is the message, many will also find the courage and hope to live their lives in the skin they were born with. We simply cannot have happy healthy lives when we choose to live in the shadows of others. Nor can we be fruitful and fully productive when we conform in ways that we KNOW are against who we were created to be.
Regardless how you feel or your core belief in what Bruce Jenner has aired please consider that all people are not alike. It is our differences that make us the amazing creations we are. Look back over history and you will see that relationships, businesses, countries, religions, etc fail because of groups of people that strive to force (wars) conformity which goes intrinsically against our humanity. Don't believe me? Do your own gut check. You have your own set of core beliefs, whether it be political, religious or otherwise. When people set themselves apart from what you believe it causes anguish within you. Maybe not to the point of violence but never the less it still creates division within your heart.
I love Bruce Jenner's openness, whether I agree with it or not is not even important. I have spoken out for years now about spiritual misfits. Those are people that love their faith but struggle to conform to what main stream religion expects. I have come to love the misfits as I have found myself being one of them. For years I conformed to what religion expected of me. The whole time though in my heart I had more questions than I had answers. I felt like the questions at least deserved discussion but I quickly found that stepping outside the religious comfort zones was not acceptable even in our modern times. I followed my heart, found my faith, gained my spiritual footing, and now love my Christianity more than ever. I feel engaged with other Christian misfits and absolutely love the opportunity to place my (our) questions on public display.
I found that conformity was killing my spirit and diminishing my hope. Looking back over the life of Jesus we find that his lack of conformity killed him yet with his resurrection proved to me that standing out and being yourself is worth the risk. Jesus paved the way for believers not conformers. We were born to stand out and it is a shame to spend our life trying to fit in. I do realize that standing out is difficult so please hear me out. I am not saying that we have to go shouting in the streets, I am saying that we should embrace who and what we are. We were not created as a mistake yet living our lives as something we are not is in fact a mistake. Bruce Jenner speaks of a very uncomfortable subject for most people to comprehend, why? Because of our not so factual conformity. Think about it before you judge what I am saying.
Being ourselves is one of the greatest gifts we can give back to God. Living true to our being is one of the rarest things on earth, most people simply exist. It is imperative that we learn to love who we are so as to stimulate hope in our hearts. When we have hope our lives open up in ways we never knew possible. This isn't the end your story or mine, this is the beginning. We hold the pencil and the eraser, it is my hope that in your life story you will be writing your own chapters. Your life matters so much more than you could ever imagine. The world would not be complete or unique without you being exactly who you were born to be. You are the greatest miracle in the world. It is my sincere hope that you fall in love with who you are and then allow the world to meet the new amazing wonderful you.
peace and love
Dale
I would like to go back in time to a place where dictators ruled and to NOT conform was dealt with in ways much harsher than we could imagine. This was a time when fitting in was much more acceptable than standing out. Yet stand out is exactly what Jesus did. He not only bucked the system, he challenged people to follow him, stand up for their individuality, and promote peace and love. Without me going into detail you know much of the story and how much hope it still provides to this day. Am I comparing Bruce Jenner to Jesus? Yes, in fact I am.
Bruce Jenner, like each of us, was created in the likeness and image of God. With that creation was the hope to make a difference and too allow your life to matter. When we spend our time fitting in we lose some, not all, of our uniqueness that was placed in us from birth. Had Mr. Jenner chosen to live out his days exactly the way he always had, he would have still been remembered as a great athlete, loving father, and genuinely a good person. BUT now that he has placed his secrets on public display his life will forever be changed in the hearts and minds of many. Certainly there will be polarity. Many will hate him and many will love him, hence the days of Jesus. But, and this is the message, many will also find the courage and hope to live their lives in the skin they were born with. We simply cannot have happy healthy lives when we choose to live in the shadows of others. Nor can we be fruitful and fully productive when we conform in ways that we KNOW are against who we were created to be.
Regardless how you feel or your core belief in what Bruce Jenner has aired please consider that all people are not alike. It is our differences that make us the amazing creations we are. Look back over history and you will see that relationships, businesses, countries, religions, etc fail because of groups of people that strive to force (wars) conformity which goes intrinsically against our humanity. Don't believe me? Do your own gut check. You have your own set of core beliefs, whether it be political, religious or otherwise. When people set themselves apart from what you believe it causes anguish within you. Maybe not to the point of violence but never the less it still creates division within your heart.
I love Bruce Jenner's openness, whether I agree with it or not is not even important. I have spoken out for years now about spiritual misfits. Those are people that love their faith but struggle to conform to what main stream religion expects. I have come to love the misfits as I have found myself being one of them. For years I conformed to what religion expected of me. The whole time though in my heart I had more questions than I had answers. I felt like the questions at least deserved discussion but I quickly found that stepping outside the religious comfort zones was not acceptable even in our modern times. I followed my heart, found my faith, gained my spiritual footing, and now love my Christianity more than ever. I feel engaged with other Christian misfits and absolutely love the opportunity to place my (our) questions on public display.
I found that conformity was killing my spirit and diminishing my hope. Looking back over the life of Jesus we find that his lack of conformity killed him yet with his resurrection proved to me that standing out and being yourself is worth the risk. Jesus paved the way for believers not conformers. We were born to stand out and it is a shame to spend our life trying to fit in. I do realize that standing out is difficult so please hear me out. I am not saying that we have to go shouting in the streets, I am saying that we should embrace who and what we are. We were not created as a mistake yet living our lives as something we are not is in fact a mistake. Bruce Jenner speaks of a very uncomfortable subject for most people to comprehend, why? Because of our not so factual conformity. Think about it before you judge what I am saying.
Being ourselves is one of the greatest gifts we can give back to God. Living true to our being is one of the rarest things on earth, most people simply exist. It is imperative that we learn to love who we are so as to stimulate hope in our hearts. When we have hope our lives open up in ways we never knew possible. This isn't the end your story or mine, this is the beginning. We hold the pencil and the eraser, it is my hope that in your life story you will be writing your own chapters. Your life matters so much more than you could ever imagine. The world would not be complete or unique without you being exactly who you were born to be. You are the greatest miracle in the world. It is my sincere hope that you fall in love with who you are and then allow the world to meet the new amazing wonderful you.
peace and love
Dale
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