Every morning I dance with each of the kiddos and we sing a song I made up that goes something like this … “God made you special, so very special, there’s only one Kirsten/Logan in the world … God made you special, so very special, there’s no one else like you in the world!”

(So creative, I know. I clearly missed my song writing calling. HA!)

But as I sing these words to them, I want them so badly to know how much I love them just the way they are and how much I appreciate the little things about them that make them unique. And I pray that they always know how special they are … and that they celebrate the things about themselves that make them perfectly Kirsten, or perfectly Logan.

This world comes at us often and tempts us to compare ourselves to someone else. It tempts us to stop celebrating the little things that make us uniquely us, and instead, encourages us to become a chameleon to whatever is trendy, or might make someone like us more. And it makes me sad as a parent, to think that my children might be tempted to change from their authentic self, to make someone else like them more. (Imagine how that makes God feel!)

Don’t we do that as adults? We feel the pressure to talk a certain way, or dress a certain way, or laugh a little quieter, or  steer away from a bright color that we love to wear, because we don’t want to stand out? Has anyone ever fake-liked something just to fit in? I know I have.

What if instead of trying to change ourselves, we began each day singing my little song to ourselves …. God made you special, so very special, there’s only one YOU in the world!

Here’s the thing – People need you to be you.

They don’t need you to fake it till you make it.

They don’t need you to try to copy them, or pretend to be someone you aren’t.

They need you to be you. To bravely be you. To be confident in who God made you to be.

This means you don’t have to apologize for crying over a commercial. It means you don’t need to shy away from wearing something you love just because it may not be in style. It means you need to embrace the body God gave you, regardless of what fruit shape it may be. It means you need to share your story, your heart, your words, your passions, with others.

And you may not be for everyone. And that’s okay. But when we start to snuff out who God made us to be, it only weakens our connection with others who might be a perfect match for us. Friendships need to be created from our authentic selves. My mom always reminded me that we don’t need to change for anyone. Not the way we talk, walk, dress, or act. Let them like you for you. Her words still ring out in my ears today.

So as I sing these words to K & L, I imagine God singing them to me too. I made you special. So very special. There’s only one Chelsea in the world. I made you special, so very special, there’s no one else like you in the world! I am learning more and more, that loving ourselves, is a beautiful form of worship to the One who created us.

“Oh yes, you shaped me first inside, then out; you formed me in my mother’s womb. I  thank you, High God—you’re breathtaking! Body and soul, I am marvelously made! I worship in adoration—what a creation! You know me inside and out, you know every bone in my body; You know exactly how I was made, bit by bit, how I was sculpted from nothing into something. Like an open book, you watched me grow from conception to birth; all the stages of my life were spread out before you, the days of my life all prepared before I’d even lived one day.” Psalm 139:13-16 MSG