We took them to the edge and bade them fly. They held on. Fly we said. They held on. We pushed them over the edge. And they flew. —Guiilame Apollinaire

There are three of me. Yup, three Dieras, all jockeying for position. But before you recommend I be institutionalized, hear me out.

The other day I was asked to identify and reflect on various facets of my personality, using the quote above:

1) The Encourager. The part of me that says, “Girl, you’ve got this.”
2) The Cautioner. She says, “Chick, you’re crazy… you can’t do this.”
3) The Risk-Taker. She just jumps feet first, then looks back and says, “Are you coming?!”

As I wrote out my assessment, I could pinpoint precise moments when one Diera was more prominent than the other. Over time, through joys and pains, successes and failures, some of me has simply faded into the background.

Sometimes we learn to squelch parts of who we are to get along with others or to be more acceptable. However, every part of who we are was intentionally created by God, and it’s sinful to diminish that.

I’ll admit my risk-taker can be reckless and got me into trouble more times that I care to recount. But she is also the part of me that is strong, bold, and courageous. She’s the part of me that lived as a single woman overseas. Who bucked when others told her she couldn’t, because she believed she could. She’s the 16-year-old who publicly challenged the Superintendent over a grading policy she vehemently disagreed with.

I realized that to ignore her is to diminish part of me that could be used greatly for Kingdom work. To ignore her is to imply that God made a mistake.

Paul challenged Timothy,

For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands. — 2 Timothy 1:6

As Timothy had to be reminded he was created for a purpose and was given a promise, we need to be remember that we are uniquely created: the good, the bad, and the ugly. And each aspect has a strength that, when surrendered to God, can be used for His glory.

If you were to reflect on your history, are there aspects of you that have diminished or even disappeared over the years?

God is calling you to embrace ALL of who He made you to be and turn it over to Him for His purpose. Learn from your past, but don’t give up part of yourself because it’s given you difficulties.

All things work together for good for those that are in Christ and are called according to God’s purpose. 

Diera Shaw-Mendez is thrilled to be part of the team Barbara’s Place, and also serves as worship leader and youth leader at New Beginnings Worship Center, Pennsauken, NJ. She is wife to Chaplain Juan Mendez and mama to Olivia Joy. She enjoys graphic design, event planning, and cooking. Diera is a God-fearing, Starbucks loving, tech junkie (…in that order!) who simply wants to remind women of God’s unchanging, healing love.