Lifeswap: Celebrate Who You Are Series

Have you ever wanted to be someone else?

What an amazing question. It was a question that we asked dozens of people and very few were willing to admit their desire to be someone else.

I know that I have wanted to be someone else at times.

I always wanted to be my older brother Kevin. I wanted to be Jerry Rice – the best wide receiver of all time. I wanted to be Ed Young – an amazing, creative pastor. I wanted to be Michael Sweet – singer of 80’s band Stryper.

Different seasons of my life caused me to attempt to be someone I was not made to be.

In the Scripture we just read we discover that God spent a lot of time “putting us together” – he knit us … he made us … we are one of a kind …

The word for “workmanship” really means to SHOW OFF – to reveal how unique you are!

So often we spend our lives trying to be someone else when God is saying, “Just be who I made you to be.”

Don’t swap your life! Discover who God made you to be!

At the end of the video we showed in the beginning do you remember what Jeff Deyo said? “I just want to be a better me.”

Man, that should be the goal of our lives – to be a better me!

To work on the person that God has made!

The Bible tells us to “continue to work out our salvation” – in other words, it is a process to become the “better me.” It is a process to become the “better you.”

LIFE PRINCIPLE: You will never be a happy YOU if you are always trying to be the happy them.

Have you ever seen the show “Wifeswap”? Each week from across the country, two families with very different values are chosen to take part in a two-week long challenge. The wives from these two families exchange husbands, children and lives (but not bedrooms) to discover just what it’s like to live another woman’s life. It’s a mind-blowing experiment that often ends up changing their lives forever.

As I have watched the show I always notice something: The wives maybe learn some important lessons, but more often than not they end up appreciating who they are more and their families.

The same would probably be true if we swapped lives tonight.

Let me give you a couple thoughts.

1. Celebrate who you are

I have to be honest. Sometimes this is a hard one for me. I wish I had the ability to sing like Leah. I wish I had the talent to play an instrument like Vassi or Dave.

God made you to be you. He didn’t make you to be someone else.

Celebrate who you are. God has given you gifts, abilities, and talents that I do not have.

Celebrate that we are different.

Galatians 6:4-5: “Be sure to do what you should, for then you will enjoy the personal satisfaction of having done your work well, and you won’t need to compare yourself to anyone else. For we are each responsible for our own conduct” (NLT).

If you celebrate WHO YOU ARE you will have little time to compare yourself to someone else.

2. Love the God who made you

“This is common sense, Pastor Todd.”

If you ever wished you were someone else, who is the first person you blame for you being you? It’s God!

You have to decide early in life that you will LOVE THE GOD THAT MADE YOU! No matter what!

There will be times you may not be happy with your weight … or your height … or your abilities … or your hair … or your family … or your friends … or your whatever.

Upload this into your brain … LOVE GOD NOT MATTER WHAT!

Deuteronomy 6:5: “Love GOD, your God, with your whole heart: love him with all that’s in you, love him with all you’ve got” (MSG).

3. God is with you

When Jesus came into the world he was given the title, “Immanuel” – which means “God with us.”

When you feel like your life isn’t as cool or fun as someone else remember GOD IS WITH YOU!

When you wish you could trade in your family remember GOD IS WITH YOU!

In your life, whether you love it or not … never forget that God is with you!

Always!

The last verse we read in Psalm 139 says, “And when I wake up in the morning, you are still with me.”

The earliest and ugliest part of our day and guess what – God is with you!

Hair undone – God with you.

No makeup on – God with you.