Hope :: We All Have a Place

Photo Credit: Brittany Stonestreet using iPhone 7, edited with Photoshop and Lightroom Classic

I think we all have moments in our lives where we feel like no matter how we twist and turn, we never seem to fit in to the groups around us. It may be for a brief period, or it could be for a long season.

The above puzzle is one I received from my best friend, Faith. Those are just a few of the pieces. If you look closely, you’ll notice that some of the pieces have been put in place, but most of them are a hot mess.

Honestly, all of those pieces were put together before my cat got ahold of them. I love Kota, but he put things out of place, making it impossible, in that moment, for the pieces to go where they belong.

It isn’t just with physical puzzles that this happens. Sometimes, people in our lives make decisions that cause our own path to get knocked aside. People and circumstances change, making us feel like we no longer fit in.

With the puzzle, I had to problem solve. I have a large baking sheet that doesn’t fit in my oven. Because the puzzle pieces are made of wood, I’m going to buy a silicone sheet for baking, put it on the cookie sheet, and do the puzzle that way. Then I can put the puzzle to safety when I’m not working on it and Kota can no longer mess it up.

Life… isn’t always that simple. Sometimes, we have to shift our attitudes. Other times, we need to change where we spend our time. And, in what feels like the worst case scenario, sometimes we have to ‘grin and bear it’. That last one is always so hard, because when we don’t fit in, it makes time drag and makes us feel like the season is never-ending.

Above, I said sometimes we have to change our attitudes. This does not mean you should change your personality. Now, if there’s a part of your personality you don’t like and you want to change it, that’s completely fine. However, your attitude isn’t necessarily your personality. Maybe you work with someone who irritates you; that can cause us to want to slack off or get them in trouble. I implore you: do what’s right. An irritating coworker doesn’t have to define your work ethic. Do your best and make things work. Maybe the coworker doesn’t realize he/she is irritating you. In this case, you need to shift your attitude.

I’m not saying life goes smoothly, because it doesn’t. Even with my faith, when I’m following the path I know I’m called to, I still feel like I don’t fit in. However, when I’m utilizing my gifts and talents (you can hear more about that on my Tikvah video this week! Subscribe to my YouTube channel here!) I feel more fulfilled, and, honestly, I tend to fit in better. I may not always have the best personality for merging with the people around me, but that doesn’t mean I can’t use my gifts to make the world a better place.

I know this has been a post with some massive paragraphs, but thanks for sticking with me through it.

If you walk away with nothing else today, go with this: you might not fit into every group you encounter, but you’re amazing the way you are. You will find your place. Keep looking forward. You’ve got this!