Sometimes embracing who you are is difficult due to feelings of inadequacy. Growing up, I absolutely HATED my nickname--Bird. I asked my mother repeatedly why everyone insisted on calling me that. She explained that when I was born I was so tiny that relatives compared me to a small bird, and the name sort of stuck--at least for them. To me it was just embarassing. In my mind I used to think, A bird? A tiny little bird? Are you kidding? How insignificant!! One of my uncles (who shall remain nameless to protect the guilty. LOL) even put a different spin on it--he called me BIRD CAGE!!! By the time I was a pre-teen, I demanded that they cease and desist! Eventually they did, except for a few.
Later in life, as I grew into womanhood and developed a personal relationshp with Christ, I began to see myself as He sees me--important, significant, and special. After all, I am made in His image. This led me to finally accept myself the way God made me, with all my beautiful "flaws." I remembered my nickname and gave some thought to my erroneous assumption that a tiny bird was insignificant. How could it be when God created it? Jesus tells us in Matthew 10:29 that not even a tiny sparrow falls to the ground outside of God's will, which means that God knows when a tiny bird falls. And if God knows, He cares!
I began to see tiny birds in a whole new way. For one, they were created by God. Two, they have God's attention. Three, they have the ability to fly! Now how special is that? Doesn't sound insignificant at all! This leads me to one conclusion: If God cares about tiny birds, He cares for me! Therefore, being a "bird" ain't bad at all. In fact, it's absolutely wonderful! And you probably didn't know that I can fly too! Yep. No kidding. I can soar to high heights in Christ by studying God's Word, spreading the Gospel message, and deepening my relationship with Him through prayer!
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