Everybody Has Their "work"

Something I find really interesting is lately I've been watching Oprah. There was a woman who lost something like 160 pounds and she mentioned identifying with transgendered persons because she felt like a totally different person on the inside than who people saw on the outside. She always felt she was a skinny person but she was instead morbidly obese. First of all, kudos to her for putting more humanity and understanding to the transgendered reality. Secondly, kudos to her to put the dots together and feel a common link even though the "work" of weight wasn't exactly the same as gender identity.

Then I saw an episode of these beautiful creatures of God who whole-heartedly felt like they were as ugly as monsters. Oh, the pain they are in! Such distortion from their mind and the lies they believe about themselves. Oh, and the families of these people just felt so helpless, such dispair.

So, it became abundantly clear to me that even though there's such a focus on gay people (and nay a mention in the mainstream media of gay Christians) and their struggle when EVERYONE has their own struggle. I'm a teacher and I once had a student who is an NFL cheerleader. She didn't "come out" as a cheerleader to me until Finals. I asked her why she didn't live her truth and she was afraid of people not liking her, thinking she was sick or desperate or confused...the list went on but does it sound familiar?

There was another woman in her late thirties who still looked and acted like a six year old child when talking to her mother. She couldn't stand up for herself. She couldn't realize her potential as her past seemed to oppress her.

So, my work, my struggle in finding out who I am was about being gay and Christian, so it is with anyone else. For someone else their work is getting back their power from family members and doing the occupation they want. Oh, that reminds me again of some other students...so many have come from Business school or computer science and the like. They start in those majors for their parents, they say. Fortunately, they realize that is their parents' life and not theirs and went to a program they REALLY wanted to be in. Sometimes we get support, sometimes we get rejection, but as Oprah says, "the people that love you, will love you."

Our work is about having the courage to be who we are. Living our truth. Because we have to live with ourselves. We have unique fingerprints for a reason. That's not a mistake. We each have the journey to live our truth and truly be a blessing in this life and to this world. So instead of going out and "being somebody," just be yourself, where you are as you are. And have fun doing it! Woo Hoo!