Knitting involves the weaving of small strands together to make a beautiful whole. Do you know the strands of you? The cords God pulled on purpose to make you uniquely you? It is important that you know the strengths God has equipped you with so that you can bring them into every room you walk into. “For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well” (Psalms 138:13-14).

We’re going to do an exercise so you can create a working list of who you are. At the top of a piece of paper write the word “Me.” Then add words that genuinely describe the person you are. It helps to think about words your loved ones (Mom, Dad, Grandparents, Best Friends, etc) would use to describe you. Below is a list of descriptive words you can draw from, circle then write down the ones that describe you. Then, Look at the list you wrote and objectively ask yourself—would you want to be friends with that person? YES!!! And the great news—Jesus does!!! The trick is to remind ourselves, coach our thoughts to remember the truth even when we don’t feel it. God knit you together with a set of strengths and struggles meant to draw you closer to Him, to lead you to enjoy Him as He enjoys you. Jesus said, “Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (John 8:32).

We don’t always feel the truth, we have to know it. When our feelings are like waves knocking us around, we can come back to solid ground by remembering what we know. Remind yourself that God created you with a purpose. We need to step into our purpose intentionally by bringing those strengths into whatever room we walk into. For example, when you have a group project – you don’t need to be the best at everything, but you can bring what you are good at. Maybe you struggle with writing but you’re outgoing and would be great at presenting. Maybe you hate research, but you are an artist/creative and would be great at designing the slides.Another example, when you go to a group event – you can be authentically you and connect with people. If you are an introvert, large groups are tougher, but you can find someone in the room who is interested in a deeper conversation and connect with them or you can listen and ask deeper questions, helping people feel heard and understood. The killer of confidence and joy is comparison. The Bible warns us of a thief. “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. (The thief is looking for ways to steal from you – steal your confidence so he can try to stop your purpose, steal your joy so he can shut you down.

One of his main tools – the lie he whispers in your head on a constant basis – comparison. When we begin to see this as a trick of the thief, we can reject the lies and pick up the truth. God made each of us with a unique race to run, with the hope that we are running to Him. You don’t know other people’s pain, struggles, or suffering. We aren’t quick to advertise our struggles on social media, we filter those out and only show our victories. So, when you compare, you aren’t seeing the whole picture anyway. And when you compare, your eyes are on another person, not on God.

When insecurities, fear, or the lies of comparison come to our thoughts - we can coach ourselves and hijack the train of our thoughts by remembering these truths: who God is, who we are to Him, the purpose He has given us, and the strengths He has equipped us with. We can flip back to our journal or the note on our phone that we are creating today to remind ourselves of the truth. My prayer is that you will use the gifts He has given you to lean into your purpose. “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do” (Ephesians 2:10).