Unruly Heart

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We are who we are.  We were created as we are.  Nothing that anyone says, or may think about you, will change who you are.   A loving heart, an unruly heart, a heart that has been broken or tarnished, is still a portion of you.  What I want to do today is help you recognize the importance of you.  What I want to do today is help you love you more.  What I really want to do today is encourage you to accept all that you are, and realize you are you for a reason.

There's all kinds of things we do that others will not accept or understand.  There are ways that we will act that will send people over the edge.  Where encouragement needs to come in is to help you understand that all of this is ok.  What you do, what you say, how you feel, it's all part of the real you.  There's no reason to explain it, there's no reason to defend it.  With each segment of society we have those who will understand things, and those who even when given proof of something, will still walk away in denial.  What you have to focus in on is you.  There are too many times where we feel as though we have to apologize for something.  We have apologize for believing one way.  We have to apologize for the things we like, for the  things we dislike, for those things that sometimes we just don't understand.  What I need you to understand today is that you never have to apologize for being the real you.  You never have to apologize for walking in those things you were created to do.  

When anyone takes a stand to be themselves they sometimes risk the chance of standing out like a sore thumb.  Being authentic is not always being normal, at least not in the eyes of many in our society.  Fear of retaliation from someone who simply doesn't understand you is a real thing.  Sadly, this fear is what stops many people from fulfilling their destiny as they have allowed others to talk them out of what they were meant to do.  Don't get me wrong, destiny is destiny, and I'm one who believes that you will get to the end game, no matter what life throws at you.  That being said, why not do all things in this lifetime, and not wait to the next one to complete the cycle?  There are situations in this life, there are people around us in this life, that we simply don't understand.  Does that make things, or them wrong?  I think not, and it's time that we accept differences in people, and in situations.  

There's all kinds of people out there who think differently.  These thoughts, these beliefs, are a product of their upbringing.  Different societies have evolved differently due to circumstances, does that mean they are right, and we are wrong?  Do we accept these differences, or do we discount them, and claim that our way is the only way?  There are countries where they have been taught to eat their big meal of the day in the middle of the day and not late at night, are they right or wrong?  There are groups of people who say the sabbath is on Sunday, while others believe it's Saturday, whose right and whose wrong?  For every up there's a down, and for every right, there's a left.  The time has come to accept differences, and the time has come to ignore those people who refuse to accept others because they just might be a little different than themselves.

I've often used the analogy of fitting a square peg into a round hole when it comes to fitting into society.  I refuse to morph into something I am not simply to fill someone else's expectation of me.  I refuse to give up on what I believe simply because it may be contrary to what others think or believe.  If you desire authenticity, then you need to be the real you, the authentic you, and not accept what others may say or may think about you.  I do understand how difficult it can be to take a stand.  Being the oddity is not always the preferred place to be in, but in reality it is the only place you should want to be in.  There are plenty of examples of people who have done things their own way, and plenty of people who have followed along blindly, only to miss what is really meant for them.  Don't be that person who settles for what others feel is best for you, only settle for those things that you know are best for you, for those things that are meant for you.

When I came out I was so worried what others might say or think.  I had gone a lifetime of not being true to me.  That "not being true" only brought pain, doubt, and a whole lot of confusion.  There is such freedom when one decides to be true to themselves.  It really doesn't matter what others say and think, it's not their life, it's yours.  If the Creator of the Universe desired for everyone to be the same, then we wouldn't have differences.  There's something truly amazing when we accept our differences.  There is beauty in difference.  There is power in acceptance.  I know I may be beating a dead horse, but even if you have what other's might describe as an "Unruly heart", meaning different than someone else, that doesn't make you imperfect, or any less amazing.  I think some of the most spectacular people ever walk to the beat of a different drum.  After all, a lot of things have come about because people thought outside the box.  

I want to encourage each of you to accept your differences.  I want to encourage you to accept that not everything in life is black or white.  Various shades of gray is what brings about change, it brings about growth, and it brings out of people what is best about them.   No matter what we do, what we are, there will always be detractors out in front of us.  They will believe one thing, and anything contrary to what they believe obviously must be wrong, in their eyes anyway.  Don't allow these people to dictate your actions, your feelings, or your desires.  Authenticity is what you need to walk in, and that authenticity is what makes you who you are.  I might not always recognize one's authenticity, but once it is brought out for all to see, I have no other choice but to accept it.  If I expect people to accept me, why right do I have not to accept them?  

I might have an "Unruly Heart", but that makes me me.  You might not be what other's expect, or want you to be, but that is why you are special and unique.  Unruly doesn't mean bad, it doesn't mean wrong, more often than not it simply means misunderstood.  Don't worry if people misunderstand you, it only means they really don't know you.  When one makes judgements about another person it is often because they haven't the maturity to fully grasp that differences are not bad, they are simply reality.  Stand tall in your unruliness.  These are the things that make you special, and being special is what is the best part of you.