Have you ever looked across the room at a party and notice that super tall girl? Like how tall is she really? She seems super confident and strong, sporting those gorgeous long legs and heels. It’s like she commands everyone’s attention and when she speaks everyone listens. She’s so lucky! She must be a basketball player. She probably has no trouble reaching that top shelf at the grocery store or upper cabinet in the kitchen. Man- I wish I had even some of her height and all that confidence.
For those of you who know me, I AM that tall girl coming in at an even six feet. And to shed a little light on your inner monologue- all tall girls do not like being asked “how tall are you” and “do you play basketball”. Our height unfortunately draws attention to us naturally and we are type casted as strong, outgoing, and confident (something we are all not).
Have you ever asked any of your tall friends what it is really like to be tall? Odds are they might complain about what it is like to shop for pants, swimwear, and maybe even dresses that qualify more as a shirt? How about those cute summer rompers that cut wrong and create some unfortunate wedgie? They might also inform you about all that unwelcome attention they get. Any introverts out there where everyone assumes you are an extrovert - yup tall people are miss-classified there too. How about people often assuming the tall person is in charge due to either sheer intimidation or assumptions that tall people are natural born leaders?
At the heart of it - we all want to be “normal” and maybe even blend in a little. We often admire and desire what we don’t have - curly hair girls want straight hair, short people want to be taller, guys want to be buffer, some of us want smarts for days, to be the life of the party, have that amazing singing voice, the patience of a saint, the amazing relationships or mentors, that kind of marriage, those kind of kids, etc.
We get lost in a comparison game. We complain to God or ask “why” that person was born with that trait, skill, or gift and not us. We spend so much time looking at where we fall short or what we don’t have. We admire someone else’s green grass instead of watering and pruning our own grass.
We need to change our thought processes. It is not healthy or fair for us to compare what others have to what we have. Or to desire something else for ourselves when God has given us so many other amazing talents, skills, and gifts. God designed us to do the things only we can do. Not to do what Karen down the street was meant to do.
The Bible says that the very hairs of our head are numbered (Luke 12:7). Really think about that for a minute… God so intricately designed us that even the position and placement of our hairs on our head were decided by him. For the record, we have approximately 100,000 hairs on our head. If God purposely placed your hairs on your head, think about how many other custom settings God used when he designed the rest of you- your brain, your smile, your eyes, your character, your personality, and yes even your height.
God created each one of us for a unique purpose and that purpose can only be fulfilled when we embrace the person he meant for us to be - no matter how awkward or goofy or tall that might look.
If the enemy knows one thing- he knows that he can use fear to get us off track and off God’s “yellow brick road” we try so hard to follow. The enemy wants to psych us out, cause us to question, doubt, and fear to be our true selves. Take one look at the halls in a middle school and you will see (and smell) all sorts of examples.
In 2nd Timothy 1:7 the Bible says that God has not given us a spirit of fear, but instead he has given us the spirit of power, love, and of a sound mind. You are probably now mumbling “yeah, yeah, yeah, I hear you…. but way easier said than done”.
I seriously want you to understand (especially my fellow tall girls out there questioning whether they should rock out those amazing heels with that bomb outfit) that we have the power, authority, and blessing to choose joy, to choose grace, and to choose acceptance that we are exactly who God made us to be. Wear the shoes ladies!
And when we put the very best version of ourselves out there, instead of pretending to be someone else or blending in, God takes such sweet delight in us. He blesses us. He’s like a super proud, sappy, it’s dusty in here dad walking his daughter down the aisle at her wedding. He takes great joy in us when we follow his plans for us and take the time admire his design over our lives.
Let’s remember to be thankful for what we have, focus more on how he blesses us, and always trust that he has our best interest at heart. He can undo everything, rebuild anything, and bring freedom and peace to everyone and every situation. Do you trust him? In the name of Shania Twain, “Let’s go girls”!
“One by one, Chain by chain Watch them fall, As we lift Your Name
Strongholds break, Sin erased Washed by grace In the power of Your Name”
-Freedom is Coming, by Hillsong Young & Free