The Grace To Be Who You Say I Am

A Devotional by Margot Cioccio

(E-mail readers this post has two videos click the title to go to the main devotional site if they don't show up in your e-mail. )

To hear some of my song go to the My Music Tab

Psalm 139:

¹³ For you created my inmost being;
    you knit me together 

in my mother’s womb.
¹⁴ I praise you because 

I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
    your works are wonderful,  

I know that full well.
¹⁵ My frame was not hidden from you
    when I was made in the secret place.
When I was woven together 

in the depths of the earth,
¹⁶  your eyes saw my unformed body.
All the days ordained for me  

were written in your book
    before one of them came to be.

We are sitting at the dinner table and my oldest son Niah, who had left the room comes back in saying. Mom I found this cool song, its called Little boxes. Mind you I know that song from at least 40 years ago and probably have had little or no cause to sing in in at least 30 years. So I started singing it and was able to remember all the words to all the verses. Kind of scary, I know. I can't remember my phone number most of the time, but I can sing you songs from when I was 13 and in some cases back to when I was three.

So my family is all giving me a hard time for being a dork. I keep trying to explain that my life is just one big musical. My kids and I are always bursting out in some silly song. Why are there so many songs about rainbows..... The cat came back it didn't want to roam it was sittin on the porch it was home sweet home.... The other day I met a bear out in the woods a way out there....marmalade molasses and honey, cinnamon and sassafras teas they make a morning finger licking and sunny..... Two little boys had too little toys each had a wooden horse....they used to tell me I was building a dream so I followed them on... some where over the rainbow... veggi tales veggi tales veggi tales brocoli celery gota be veggi tales....you gotta give a little, take a little, let your poor heart break a little , that the story of, that's the story of love.  So I can assure you my children got sung to - and even now that they are 11, and 15 they still get regaled with songs when the whim hits me.

You may read these posts and think that I am very serious and I am sometimes, but I don't like little boxes made of ticky tacky that all look just the same. I'm sure you are already starting to wonder how I am going to get something profound out of the song "Little Boxes" and truthfully I'm not really sure in this instant but by faith I believe it will come to me. Anyway while you are waiting for me to figure out that small but important detail take a minute to watch the video my son found.  I gotta say my rendition of the song was never quite so cool as these guys - gotta say I love the video. They even have a couch that's made of duct tape and cardboard. So here it is. Little Boxes, performed by Walk off the Earth

God has plenty of room in his imagination and in his kingdom for you to be uniquely you. We are not only a expression of Gods creativity, we like him are wired to be creative. You may not paint, or draw or do music but God has given you way to express his amazing creativity in the earth. Maybe your creativity come out in science or math, or in writing or speaking. Its ok to flourish and blossom doing the things that God created you to do and to enjoy doing them.  Its ok that I love riding my bike. Thank you God that you gave me one form of exercise that I really enjoy doing. Its just fun.

1 Timothy 6:17
Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment.

Ecclesiastes 5:19
Moreover, when God gives any man wealth and possessions, and enables him to enjoy them, to accept his lot and be happy in his work—this is a gift of God.

I was talking to my pastor recently about how God gives us generators - things that we love to do. Doing those things charges our batteries and puts a spring in our step and a song in our heart.
We talked about how we had both during our lives given up some of those things. Some times out of pain and the associated memories, sometimes so others could pursue their dreams, some times in an effort to be responsible. Sometimes because we can wrongly believed that we don't deserve to be happy. Or because of insecurities and the pressures all around us to conform, to fit in, to follow the crowd.

I think it is only as we spend time with God on a consistent basis that we begin to see who he created us to be. That we can get beyond the brokenness and begin to be what God intended for us to do and be. Lots of folks go of and try and find themselves when in reality the answer is with the one who created you and knows you fully. We get too busy trying to be responsible and trying to redeem our selves and be good enough to be accepted by God and we miss the simplicity of it all. Spend time with Jesus and he will help you see who he created you to be. So I leave you with this song that I hope will speak to you in a deep way.




Prayer: 
Dear Lord, Help us to come to know you and in so doing help us to find out who you have called us to be. Help us to embrace all the uniqueness of your individual design and plan that you thought of just for us. Help us to realize that we don't need to be put in ticky tacky little boxes and all look just the same. Thank you that you created zebras, and giraffes and made bees and humming birds with big bodies and little wings able to fly. Thank you that you have a plan and a purpose for each of us thats good and full of wonder.