Hey everyone! So I’m doing something new and pretty exciting…a guest blogger! And the guest is none other than one of my favorite people in life, my sister! She’s so incredibly brave and bold in this post. So without further ado, please read, reflect & enjoy. And as always, I hope this helps!

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People love to say the phrase: “I love you just the way you are.”

But they don’t.  Because they can’t.

More accurately, people love you just the way THEY want you to be.

They love a modified version of you. One that will work seamlessly with who they are.  A comfortable, easy, palatable you.

And everybody does this.

Over the course of my life, I’ve been faced with the rejection of simply being too much. Too bossy. Too harsh. Too blunt. Too demanding. Too sarcastic.  Too ME.

And while I may dismiss some of these labels as micro-aggressions indicative of the patriarchal sexist society that a strong women must live in……….for the most part the labels are true. No they don’t paint the full picture of me, but me nonetheless.

Fact: I am bossy, harsh, blunt, demanding and unyieldingly sarcastic.

But where does that leave me in a world where who I am sometimes hurts people?

Do I constantly dilute myself to accommodate those around me? Or Do I continue being me with the risk of perpetually offending others because they misunderstand my heart?

Maybe it’s neither or maybe it’s both. I don’t have the answer.

However I am reminded of the one who does in fact love me unconditionally. One who loved us while we were yet sinners. While we were yet ‘too much.’

And this love gives me hope. Hope to grow, learn, and be understood. Hope to be unapologetically me knowing that there is one who loves me just the way I am.

Sometimes change is necessary. Sometimes it’s ok to be less bossy, harsh, and demanding for the sake of exercising love for the people around you.

Just a thought,

Mel