Outside the Box
Starting at a very early age people, government, organizations, family and friends try to put everyone in a box or try to figure out what box to check off that applies to us humans.
One thing we have in common no matter our skin color, gender or nationality is we all start off as blank slates or empty boxes, if you will allow me the small play on words.
As we get older people, experiences, memories and many other factors begin to fill this empty box that we carry around. What goes into these boxes determines a great deal of how we will act in any situation, how we treat and look at others and generally how we look at our fellow humans.
This can be good and bad depending on what our box is full of and generally our families have a lot of sway over what goes into our box.
The good news is with some self-examination and facing hard truths about ourselves we are able to control what comes out of our boxes at least to some extent, which allows us to grow - hopefully in a positive direction.
Another great thing with taking time to examine why you think and act or react towards things is we can change negative aspects of the way we think or react. Truth is power and it will set you free, but only if you take the time to understand who you are and why you are like you are.
I have been on a journey of self-discovery now for a very long time and it has not been easy coming to terms with my younger self, but understanding who I was and why I did certain things when I was younger has really helped me grow into a person who could be comfortable and even love myself. Knowing yourself well can also lead to helping others who have gone through the same things you have, and trust me, everyone needs help from someone at some point in their lives.
God has been a huge factor in the new me that has transformed from the younger person I was. Although I believe all things are possible through Christ, I also believe Christ wants us to fellowship and help those around us as well, to count on and be counted on to help those needing help mentally, physically or spiritually and the only way to help others is to first help ourselves.
Take time to learn who you are and what makes you tick. Lamentations 3:40 “Let us test and examine our ways, and return to the Lord!”