More

The word more is often spoken into our lives. Sometimes this word can bring with it growth, hope, encouragement, love, and caring. People can speak "more" into our lives when they push us to give more over to Jesus, to trust more, to care more, to love more, to hope more, or even to have faith more. More is one of those terms that has infinite potential, the effect of more is altered only by the method by which it is delivered.

Just as more can be put into our lives to plant and spread hope, it can be put into our lives to maim and destroy. Not only do other people push more onto and into us, we heap more upon our own shoulders by the desire to do and be more.  Now, let me clarify that there is nothing inherently wrong by wanting to do and be more, however, the problem comes when that more comes at the cost of demeaning, devaluing, and belittling yourself. The problem of more affects both men and women, adult and teenager alike.

Be more like him or her.
Be more like your parents.
Be more like your sister or brother.
Be more like the norm.
Be more than you are.
Be more of a man.
Be more of a woman.
Be more of a thinker.
Be more of a doer.
Be more of a worker.
Be more of a leader.
Be more of a servant.
Be more of a lover.
Be more fashionable.
Be more athletic.
Be more artistic.
Be more compassionate.
Be more strong. (Yes, I know grammatically speaking it should say Be stronger.)
Be more masculine to attract that girl.
Be more feminine to attract that guy.
Be more than you could ever hope to be.
BE MORE.

These thoughts and statements, when used to devalue, demean, and destroy, come at the cost of losing who it is you are and what it is you are put here to do. In order to do and be more to fit others view of who and what we should be, we tend to bend in ways and ultimately break down because we are trying to fit into a mold we were never meant to go into. Instead, we were born to break the mold, to go against the grain, to be different from everyone else around us.

You don't have to try to be more like someone else. All you have to do is love yourself more than you do in this moment because God, the father, and Jesus, our Savior, LOVE you MORE than you can ever imagine. Jesus wants you MORE than anyone or anything else. Jesus wants you to be MORE like you and you have ever been before. He wants you to stand tall and know that you are MORE than conquerors in Him. To know that you are MORE courageous, compassionate, trusting, hopeful, faithful, kind, loving, and joyful in HIM than by yourself or by trying to be someone you are not meant to be.

So be who you were created to be, not the more that society around you says you must be.
YOU ARE MORE than you can imagine.
YOU ARE WORTH MORE than rubies.
YOU ARE LOVED MORE.
YOU ARE MORE.