I was recently at an event where Eric Davis and Darryl Strawberry did a Q&A about their lives and careers in Major League Baseball. The interviewer asked what they would tell their eighteen-year old selves if they could travel back in time. Eric Davis said he would tell his younger self to stay off the ground…Meaning don’t dive and slide as much because of the wear and tear it caused on his body. But then he shook that answer off and said he would not change anything because the way he played the game was the reason why he was successful.
 
A meaningful reflection of Jesus happens when we don’t wish away the things that make us who we are.
 
As Eric Davis explained his answer as it pertained to baseball, he highlighted an important truth for us as followers of Jesus. Each person is unique and perfectly created by God. Not only does God know everything about us, but He knows it because He created us, which means He created us according to the design in his heart and mind. 
 
Truth #1: There are things about us that we would wish away that God gave us as a gift.
I’m not talking about things related to living in the flesh and struggling with sin, but natural, God-given characteristics of who we are. We call them character flaws, personality quirks, and physical blemishes. Because God created us with these things, He doesn’t see them as negative detriments, but as positive attributes to help us do what is required in the life He has designed for us. So many times, we want to get rid of the uniqueness of who we are while God has given us these things on purpose.
 
Truth #2: Just like Eric Davis, we need to realize that removing something about the way God made us may change some of the pain or struggle we experience, but it will also remove the blessing of what God wants to do through our uniqueness.
 
God knew what He was doing when he formed you in your mother’s womb. It included what you needed to walk through what you are facing right now. The very thing you want to get rid of may be the thing that helps you take your nest step as a follower of Jesus.
 
Keep Reflecting Jesus!