Have you ever thought about all of the personalities in the world? Forget the whole world. What about just in your inner circles? We all know Susie is a bubbly morning person. We know Bob hates being in crowds. Sam is funny. Sally is serious. The list of personality traits goes on forever. How do we all get to be the way we are? We are human beings. God created us in His image with His character traits sprinkled throughout all of us. We don’t all possess each of His traits. There’s way too many. He’s God, not us. But He has an invisible way of making Himself very visible to the world we live in. He loves. He has a sense of humor. He’s compassionate. He’s everything that “good” encompasses. Yet, He wants to share it with us. He is the very life-force that allows us to be human. So, when we’re being ourselves, we’re just doing exactly what He created us to do. We’re being human. 

The main obstacle with being human, I feel, is the opportunity to “choose”. God did not make us robots. He gives us the ability to choose to love or not. We are on the free will plan. You ask, “why is that an obstacle?” In my opinion, it can be an issue because we don’t always operate in our God-given personality traits. As humans living in a broken world, we pick up some traits that aren’t always pleasing to others or our Lord. We also have a tendency, a lot of the time, to zero in on others not so pleasant traits and minimize our own. We can be real quick to point out faults in others while being judgmental doing so. It shouldn’t be this way. This is certainly not God’s best for us. Jesus said, “And why worry about a speck in your friend’s eye when you have a log in your own?” (‭‭Matthew‬ ‭7‬:‭3‬ ‭NLT‬‬) This pretty much sums it up. Ouch! I don’t want to be this way but I find myself falling prey to it. Lord, help me! We’re all a work in progress. No one has arrived. We have to find a place in our hearts to make allowances for each other as we grow just as God makes allowances for us. So, we have God’s traits and unfortunately, the world’s traits also. Again, we choose which to operate in. 

Our goal should be to encourage one another and cultivate the good traits we each have. The enemy wants us to forget all the good and focus on the “flaws” of the people we love. This causes discord and division. God wants His people to be unified and come together despite our differences and walk in love with one another. “Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you.” (Ephesians‬ ‭4‬:‭32‬ ‭NLT‬‬) This is not just a recommendation. God’s Word is telling us to do this. It’s telling us to do this because it brings harmony. The devil hates unity. Unity should be our focus. 

We’re all afflicted with humanity. This world has hurled some hard things at all of us, leaving everyone flawed in some way. Let’s try to look past the “growing pains” of others and look at the good attributes God has placed in that person. Let’s trust that God is working out the mess in all of us. Sometimes it’s hard to see past what we see with our natural eyes. We need God’s grace every day to do that. By doing so, you are not giving the devil a foothold in your own life. Yes, people are going to aggravate you. They’re going to cut you off in traffic. They’re going to say things that are sometimes hurtful. Unfortunately, that’s all of us from time to time. But God is good. “Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail.” (‭‭Lamentations‬ ‭3‬:‭22‬ ‭NIV‬‬) Let’s try to remember our example in Christ. Let’s try to show mercy and compassion and de-escalate situations as they arise. We are all just being human.

Today’s writer is Brandi Crowe. A hairdresser for over 25 years, she is currently the owner of Brandi Crowe salon in Buford, GA. She loves hiking, a good cup of coffee, and spending time with family and friends. Brandi lives in a custom farmhouse with her husband Robby and cat Harold.