Whether we want to admit it or not, when we were teenagers, in high school, we always had that person in the "spotlight" that we looked up to. We stalked them on google, or now on instagram. But I think as the years go by teenagers are becoming more and more obsessed with this idea. Girls are not just trying to be "like" someone, they are trying to be them.
With the ever changing society, the standards girls are trying to meet are becoming more and more unrealistic. They scroll through instagram and measure themselves by how many followers they have or by how closely they are resembling Kylie Jenner. (Disclaimer: I have nothing against Kylie Jenner). Girls have adopted this idea that to be seen is everything. They look to the people that are seen greatly, celebrities, and they slowly begin to take off the layers and try to remake themselves to fit what the world deems acceptable.
Over Christmas break I had a sleepover with the group of girls I did a bible study with last year. They had just finished their first semester of college and I was so excited to see how they were all doing. I asked them the question, "what has been the greatest struggle since starting college?
The answers varied but the common thread pulled throughout was drinking. But what I found so interesting is that the ones that were struggling with it admitted that they found no enjoyment in it. So I asked them why.
With eyes full of tears, a 19 year old looked at me and said, "because it's what everyone else does."
That's it.
Everyone else does it.
We want to be like everyone, because that gives us an excuse to not find ourselves.
We want to be seen but we don't want to be known.
We want to blend in and not stand out.
When Adam and Eve realized they were naked in the garden it was them realizing they were vulnerable, so they hid. This is exactly what we do. In our brokenness, in our sin, in our fear, when it comes to showing our true selves, we grab the fig leaves and hide.
"Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves." Genesis 3:7
Girls, you don't have to be like anybody else. You don't have to look just like the girl on the cover of the magazine. You don't have to spend a summer in Africa doing mission work. You don't have to be in a relationship. Just be you, it's exactly what the world needs.
Put down the fig leaves, and let yourself be really seen. Every insecurity. Every doubt. Every mistake. Every Fear. Jesus, wants to see it.
We have it all backwards. It is not about just being seen. It's about being known. Maybe you aren't a spiritual person, in that case, Jesus aside, the world can never know you if you don't allow them to see YOU.
The real you.
Not the you who is trying to be just like everyone else.
Sadie Robertson says it best, "live original."
Original: created directly and personally by a particular artist; not a copy or imitation:
When I was in high school I wish I had someone like Sadie Robertson to look up to. Not afraid to stand out, she operates with simplicity and modesty staying true to who she is, and what she believes. With a million eyes watching, she dares to be different.
I know, sometimes we hold back because we fear what people will think. What will your friends say? How will they respond? Be encouraged by Sadie who does it knowing that the whole world is watching.
You will never influence the world by trying to be like it.
Sadie, thank you. Thank you for standing up. Thank you for being a beacon of light for young girls to look to. Thank you for making the message of your life first and foremost Jesus, but also to live original.
Today, remember that you don't have to be like anyone else. Put the layers back on. Be you.
Be someone that in the years to come is someone that a teenage girl can look up to. You could be the next Sadie Robertson But you have to be willing to just be you. You have to have the courage to say no to this idea of imitation.
I don't care what the world says, you have the freedom to be exactly who you are.
