"But everyone else is doing it!"

How many times have you thought that phrase to yourself, or perhaps even said it to your parents? Something that has been weighing heavily on my heart lately is being an original in a world full of unoriginals. Sometimes it's easy to just "go with the flow." What "everyone else is doing" isn't always something bad, right? Sometimes it may be that, everyone else is going to church camp and you stay home to help take care of a family member in need. Going to church camp is by no means a terrible thing. But just because your church goes to camp doesn't mean it's where God wants you to be. Sometimes he has more important things for you to do. I have seen so many girls lately that are doing things, not necessarilly because it's what they want or what God wants, but because it's what the "cool people" are doing. Girls, this is not God's plan for our lives at all. Over and over Paul talks about how each part of the body of Christ is different, but it is unique and important and no less a part of the body than any other part. Our body would be useless if all we are is a pile of hands or feet. We need to be our individual selves to reach our full potential in Christ.

In the realm of purity that obviously means following God's will and not having sex before marriage. But it goes beyond that. Just because one person is totally okay with dating in high school doesn't mean you have to date as well. Seek God's will for your life, don't just go with the flow. If you are afraid to stand out as an individual you will never reach your full potential. God has called us each to a specific purpose, and you have to seek him to find it.

Ephesians 2:10 says "For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago." You are God's MASTERPIECE. Don't ever forget that. When you try to be something you're not, it like you are trying to fix a masterpiece. If you took the Mona Lisa, cut it up, through half of the pieces away and then put it back together again it wouldn't be the same would it? It wouldn't look like a da Vinci masterpiece, it would look like a Picasso. It might turn out to be an okay Picasso, but it's purpose in life was to be a da Vinci. It can never fulfill it's purpose because we tried to change a masterpiece. It's the same with our life. I was not created to be a Jennifer Rochester, I was created to be Kathryn Reed. If I'm trying to be Jennifer Rochester I will never fulfill the purpose God has for ME. Don't be afraid to be original.

Love, Kat