Letting Go Of

Who I Thought I Had to Be 

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:02

Welcome back to Roots to Restoration: Faith, Family, and Healing with Marie. In the last episode, we talked about communication and how the way we learned to express ourselves can follow us into how we respond today. But today we're going a little deeper. Because sometimes it's not just how we speak or how we respond, it's how we present ourselves. Sometimes we don't realize we're not fully being ourselves. We're being who we think we're supposed to be. First Samuel 16 verse 7 says, People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart. Sometimes without realizing it, we shape ourselves based on what we think others expect. How we look, how we dress, how we carry ourselves. Not always because it reflects who we are, but because it reflects what we think is acceptable. Recently I went through a moment that made me realize something. As I was going through my closet, I felt led to start letting go of things. And at first it just felt like cleaning. But as I continued, I started to notice something deeper. What I was letting go of wasn't just clothes. It was a piece of an identity that wasn't mine. It felt like so many different expectations wrapped into one. Things I wore not because they reflected me, but because they reflected what I thought others wanted to see. And in that moment I had to be honest with myself. I realized for a long time my identity was shaped by what others thought of me. Not by how I truly saw myself, not by how beautiful I felt inside. I was trying to fit into other people's idea of beauty, other people's expectation, other people's mode. And somewhere in that process I lost parts of myself. And now I have to find her again. Not the version I created to fit in, but the version of me that feels real, the version that feels aligned, the version that was always there but got covered over time. And truthfully, that takes rebuilding from the ground up. And the truth is, no matter how much we change on the outside, our hair, our clothes, our weight, how we present ourselves, it will never be enough for someone who was never satisfied to begin with. And that's something I had to accept. Because sometimes the pressure we feel is not really about us. It's about someone else's expectation, someone else's perspective, someone else's way of seeing things. And if we're not careful, we start living according to that. But the truth is, people who are not at peace within themselves often project that outward. Hurt people hurt people, and without realizing it, we try to adjust ourselves to meet something that was never whole to begin with. It shows up in how we present ourselves, how we carry ourselves, what we feel comfortable wearing or not wearing. And sometimes we disconnect from who we really are without even noticing, because we've been focused on fitting in instead of being aligned. But that moment of letting go was more than just cleaning space, it was a shift, a realization that I don't have to be who I thought others wanted me to be. I can begin to step into who I actually am. God doesn't define you by outward appearance, He looks at your heart. And when you begin to align with that, everything else begins to shift. You stop performing, you stop adjusting yourself to meet expectations that were never yours. And you begin to live more freely. You are allowed to grow outward versions of yourself that were never truly you. You are allowed to let go of what no longer aligns. You are allowed to step into something that feels more honest, more real, more aligned with who you are becoming. Ask yourself where in my life am I trying to fit into something that doesn't feel like me? And then ask, what would it look like to let that go? Letting go is not just physical, it's internal. It's releasing what doesn't align so you can step into what does. And that takes courage, but it's part of your growth. Let us close with a prayer. Heavenly Father, help us to release anything that does not align with who we are becoming. Give us the courage to be true to ourselves and to walk in confidence, not comparison. Guide us as we grow into who you created us to be. In Jesus' name, amen. As we continue this season, this is a part of a deeper reflection in the journey. Take what you need from it and let it meet you where you are. Thank you for joining me on Roots to Restoration, Faith, Family, and Healing with Marie. Be blessed and continue growing in faith, healing, and restoration one season at a time.