Dancing Free

Happy Halloween! It's been great for me and I hope you too! Now, I realize that, like my first post, this one is going to be long and basically just a paragraph-long rant.  However, this is always how it is when I feel like writing because I have so many thoughts just buzzing around waiting to come out.  So, I hope that eventually my giant rants will become part of my charm.  Anyway, there's a certain lesson to be learned from Halloween.  Think about it.  We dress up as someone/something we are not and spend an entire night as that person/object.  I don't know about you, but sometimes I find myself more confident as that other person because, being that I only have to be that person for one night, I don't really have time to fully develop their character.  Okay, that probably didn't make sense.  I'll try again.  In our lives, we don't wear a costume.  We are just ourselves.  We try to cover ourselves up sometimes or hide from ourselves, but when it comes down to it, we will never be anyone but who God intended us to be.  When we wear a costume for just a short night, we only have to act like that person externally; we don't share the feelings and innermost thoughts of that person.  That's why it's easier to be confident in it.  However, I learned something tonight, in my cute little red riding hood outfit, that will probably change me forever.  I'll share it with you, but it will probably make more sense with some background.  During my childhood, I never quite figured out how to be myself.  Even in high school, I would be my usual crazy self at home but just quiet and timid at school.  I didn't enjoy social events because I didn't feel comfortable in my own skin.  So, realizing that this was a problem, I decided to let my entire self come out in college.  For instance, if I wanted to admit my love for Celine Dion to my new roommate, I would.  When I got to college, this proved harder than I thought it would be.  It was scary to be who I really am.  Now, back to the lesson.  I recently have been pretty comfortable with myself and putting myself out there.  However, one thing still made me uncomfortable: dancing.  It might seem weird, but to me, dancing is an expression of freedom, or letting go and just enjoying life for a moment.  When in a social situation, it was hard for me to let go and be totally free with people I hadn't yet made an impression on yet.  Tonight, at the Halloween party I went to, however, something different happened.  I resolved to just let myself have that freedom, that it didn't matter what other people thought, and that the other people probably were just enjoying themselves too.  I let go.  I can now say that I am completely and totally comfortable with who I am, and that is the most joyful and free feeling I have ever experienced.  Now enough about me, the point is that I want to encourage you to just let go.  Be who you are and you will be more beautiful than you could ever imagine.  Think about this.  How could we be more beautiful hiding and covering up what God has created than when we let it show?  There is no way we can create a version of ourselves that is better than the one He intended.  Let yourself feel the freedom you deserve.  When you accept and love yourself, you will accept and love the other people that you are meant to impact during your life.  So, if you're feeling a little bit confused about your purpose, maybe you need to take the time to become confident in the gifts you've been given and the person you are.