Empowered: Refuse to be put in a Box

Refusing to be put in a box means choosing to live as the person God uniquely created you to be, rather than allowing the opinions, labels, or expectations of others to define your identity. When you embrace your God given gifts, personality, and purpose, you break free from the limitations that hold you back and begin living with confidence, authenticity, and courage. The world doesn't need another copy. It needs the unique person God created you to become.

Transcript

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One of the greatest tragedies in life is not failure, but it is spending years trying to become someone you were never created to be. Every day people wake up wearing invisible masks, they speak differently, they act differently depending on who is around them. They suppress their dreams because someone once told them they were unrealistic. They even go to the extent of hiding their gifts because they are afraid of others. They change their personalities to gain acceptance, believing that fitting in is more valuable than standing out. Yet deep within them is a constant feeling that something is missing. That missing piece is not another achievement, not another promotion, nor another relationship. It is simply the freedom to be themselves. I'm Sandra Elizabeth. Today's podcast is entitled Refuse to Be Put in a Box. From the moment we are born, the world begins placing labels on us. Some labels are spoken out loud whilst others are silently communicated through expectations. A child might hear you say, You're the quiet one, while another is constantly reminded that he is the smart one. Someone else is labeled the difficult child, the athletic child, or the responsible sibling. At first, these words may seem harmless, but over time they become boxes that limit how people see themselves. Eventually they begin living according to those labels instead of discovering who they truly are. People in general, or even society, is always fascinated with putting people into categories. Society likes predictable people. Predictable people are easier to control. Predictable people are easier to understand. Employers want employees to fit certain profiles. Schools also often reward conformity more than creativity. Families themselves unknowingly established identities for each member of the family. There is the successful sibling, the funny one, the caretaker, the rebellious one, the peacemaker. And so these roles are assigned, assigned to everyone. And everyone expects them to remain the same. When someone starts changing, growing, or dreaming beyond those expectations, people often become uncomfortable. The problem with living inside a box is that boxes are designed to contain, to contain you, to contain your personality. They restrict movement, they restrict growth, they define boundaries, they tell you how far you are allowed to go before someone becomes uncomfortable. You see, God never created or designed human beings to live confined by artificial limitations. He created every individual with unique gifts, personalities, experiences, and purposes that cannot be duplicated by anyone else. The Bible consistently teaches that God created each person intentionally, uniquely, and with a purpose. Our gifts, personalities, and abilities are not accidents, they are part of his desire. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. God designed every part of you, even before you were born. Your personality, your temperament, and uniqueness were already known to him. Never allow others to tell you that your personality is not good enough. Never allow others to tell you that you don't know how to celebrate yourself. Never allow others to tell you that they have the correct personality, they have the best personality. I was very often told in my adulthood, I don't have the right personality. I need to have more charisma. But I knew that I have this quiet, unassuming personality. So my personality became a problem for many. Remind yourself, Jeremiah 1 5 says, Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you. Before you were born, I set you apart. You see, God set you, God set me apart to be who He wanted us to be. So enjoy your personality, celebrate your own personality. God prepared meaningful work specifically for you, specifically for me. We each were given different gifts, gifts according to the grace given to each of us. God will always use different personalities. The Bible shows that God works through many kinds of personalities. Moses was a humble and reluctant person. Peter, on the other hand, was bold and impulsive. John was compassionate and relational. Paul was intellectual and driven. Deborah was a wise leader. Esther was courageous and influential. David was artistic, emotional, and courageous. Nehemiah was organized and strategic. And so each person served God faithfully without becoming someone else. So when you find other people trying to put you inside a box, get out of that box. Imagine this buying an eagle and raising it amongst chickens. Every morning the eagle watches chickens scratch the ground searching for food. And so the eagle copies their behavior because it has never seen anything different. And so years pass on, and one day it notices another eagle soaring effortlessly through the sky. Something awakens inside. It senses that it belongs somewhere higher. The eagle was never designed to spend its life scratching in the dirt. It was born with the wings capable of reaching incredible heights, but its environment convinced it that the ground was all there was. Today many people are living exactly like that eagle. They have accepted a smaller version of themselves simply because that is what everyone around them expected. Their gifts remain buried beneath the ears of criticism, their creativity is hidden behind fear, their confidence has been replaced by self-doubt, and all because they have lived according to the expectations of others rather than the calling placed upon their lives by God. One of the greatest enemies of authenticity is the desire to be accepted. Human beings naturally long for belonging. People want to be loved and appreciated and included. And there is nothing wrong with that. However, the danger comes when acceptance becomes more important than authenticity. At that point, people begin making decisions based on applause instead of conviction. They become experts at reading the room instead of listening to their own hearts. Their lives slowly become performances rather than genuine expressions of who they are. Take the time, look around you, and see how many people live their lives based on performance. They are not genuine people. Social media itself has magnified the struggle. Never before have people compared themselves so constantly with complete strangers. Every time you scroll, you will find another business owner, another perfect family photograph, another luxury holiday, or another best-selling author. And slowly your mind will begin asking dangerous questions. Should I be more like them? Am I doing enough? Why don't I look like that? Why isn't my life moving as quickly? You see, comparison quietly convinces us that our uniqueness is a weakness instead of a strength. For a large part of my own life, I was made to feel weak. I was bullied. I was told to submit. I was told I was nothing. I had to fight that. I had to become strong. I had to let people know who I was, who God created me to be. I had to let them know what my strengths were, what my gifts were. You see, the truth is that no one else can become the person God created you to be. Someone may imitate you, may imitate your style, borrow your ideas, or even copy your methods, but they can never become you. Secretly, they desire to be you. You see, your experiences, your personality, your perspective, your testimony, your victories, and even your scars have shaped a voice that belongs to you alone. So when you spend your life trying to become someone else, the world loses the gift that only you can offer. History is filled with people who refuse to remain inside the box that society created for them. They were criticized because they challenged expectations. They were misunderstood because they refused to conform. Yet it was precisely their uniqueness that changed the world. The Bible talks about David becoming king. When Samuel visited Jesse's house to anoint Israel's next king, David was not even invited to the gathering. His own family had already placed him inside a box. To them he was simply the shepherd boy. Leadership belonged to his older brothers. Yet God ignored the labels people had assigned. While others judged appearance, God looked at his heart. The very person everyone overlooked became one of the greatest kings of Israel. Moses, he was labeled as a murderer and a fugitive before becoming a deliverer. Gideon saw himself as weak before becoming a mighty warrior. Rahab carried the reputation of her past before becoming part of the lineage of Jesus Christ. Peter was known as an impulsive fisherman before becoming one of the pillars of the early church. Their lives remind us that God's calling is always greater than society's labels. You know, Jesus is the greatest example of all. People continually tried to define him. They called him a carpenter's son. They expected him to become a political ruler who would overthrow the Roman government. Religious leaders wanted him to conform to their traditions. Jesus refused every box that people attempted to place him in. He remained completely faithful to his father's purpose, even when it attracted criticism, misunderstanding, and rejection. His identity was never determined by public opinion, but by his relationship with his father. And so today remind yourself that your identity should never be built upon titles, achievements, popularity, or even other people's opinions. Those things change with time. Your identity must be rooted in something eternal. When we know who we are before God, the opinions of people lose much of their power. Refusing to be put in a box does not mean that you are becoming rebellious, arrogant, or unwilling to learn. It simply means that you have the courage to grow into the person that God designed instead of shrinking into the person that others prefer. It means recognizing that pleasing everyone is impossible and that living authentically is far more rewarding than living as a copy of someone else. Every great leader eventually reaches a moment where they must decide whether they will follow the crowd or follow their calling. You may feel trapped inside a box built by fear, people's expectations, past failures, traditions, or even your own self-doubt. Remember this. The box may have shaped your past, but it does not have to determine your future. Go ahead and break the labels that define you. You see, every person carries an invisible story. Long before people meet us, they have already formed opinions based on what they see. They notice our age, our nationality, our education, our accent, our appearance, or even our occupation. And then they begin forming assumptions. Sometimes those assumptions work in our favor, but many times they become invisible walls that prevent people from seeing who we really are. Even more dangerous is when we begin to believe those assumptions ourselves. Children struggle with labels. Some children are told, you're just not academic, you're just troublesome. Those labels can become an identity. Many adults are still fighting those battles. One of the greatest lies that people believe is that they must earn their identity through achievement. Society applauds accomplishments, promotions, degrees, followers, awards, and financial success often become measurements of personal worth. While these things can certainly be blessings, they were never meant to define us. If your identity is built upon success, then failure will destroy your confidence. If your identity is built on applause, criticism will silence your voice. If your identity is built upon popularity, then rejection will become unbearable. True identity must rest upon something that cannot be taken away. For those who place their faith in God, identity begins with understanding that we were created intentionally, loved completely, and called specifically. So before you ever achieved anything, God knew you. Before any applauded your gifts, he already placed them within you. Before people formed opinions about your future, God had already written purpose into your life. As you continue your journey, remember that the goal is not to become famous. The goal is not about being admired. The goal is not about being confined in a box. The goal is far greater. And that is to become fully yourself, fully the person that God envisioned before anyone else ever had the chance to place a label upon your life. Today I remind you get out of the box. Thank you for joining me. It was a pleasure having you on board this podcast. Have a blessed week ahead.