I’ve struggled many times on being myself 100%. I’ve realized that for most of my life I’ve only been a fraction of the person that God created me to be.

Many people who know me will say…”Joe you are You! You’re the dorkiest person alive but you’re also the sweetest! Don’t ever change!”. That there is definitely true but those things are just me on the surface.

I am the type of person who feels things so deeply and tends to take things personally. That’s because I have the biggest heart and I always wear it on my sleeve so to speak. The truth is though that you never know how a person can be deep down on the inside. You can have a general idea but that’s not completely knowing someone. You can think that you know someone and do know a lot of them because you’ve gotten close to him/her. On the other hand, you can think that you know someone and be completely wrong about him her. Either way, it is important to be fair others. You never know the struggles that he/she may be facing. You should show compassion no matter what simply because that is what Jesus would do.

I admit that I can seem like I have it all together and be so happy yet on the inside I can feel like I’m actually dying. These last few months have been so hard yet rewarding for me.

As far as bad, I’ve been bullied and judged so harshly. People can be so cruel. It is important though that you don’t retaliate. Otherwise, you are no better. The best thing that you can do is simply pray for those people. People can change. Even now if those same people who mistreated me were to come to me and sincerely apologize, I’d forgive them. In fact, I have already. God forgives so we should too.

Because of what I’ve gone through these past few months, I did get depressed but one day, I broke and decided to give it all to God and let Him heal me. This is the perfect example of something bad turning into something good. I truly believe that everything happens for a reason. Even after that, I admit that I did struggle even after giving it to God. However, after attending a special crusade that was held here in my small town, I am so on fire for God now that it’s ridiculous..but in a good way!!

I’ve learned that I never did have to try to prove myself to anyone. I only owe it to myself and to God. He will always love me no matter what! I am being more honest with myself than I ever have before. I try hard to be the person that God created me to be. I pray that I can be example to others. It is okay to be yourself! Others may judge you but in the end, it does not matter. What matters is that you continue to grow in your relationship with God. I wake up everyday with that in my mind. God, I thank you for still loving me through my many mistakes and for loving me simply because I am your child. You are my Lord and Savior and I can’t wait til I can say, “I love you!” in your presence.

https://jwallbct.wixsite.com/joesfellowship/post/be-yourself