Weird. And He's OK With That :)

There are those moments when we are completely and utterly free--being who we are and feeling incredibly alive. There is a joyous rush of exuberance that seemingly travels from the soles of our feet to the very tops of our heads. Arms may be flailing, bodies may be twirling, snot may be flying out of our noses from uncontrollable laughter--whatever the case may be, we are free. Fear of judgment is non-existent; we are truly meeting face to face with liberty.

Sometimes this happens in the confines of privacy. Other times, these moments take place in the company of trusted, dear, life-long friends. There are even those moments when these occurrences happen around the presence of those we do not know, and oddly enough--we don't care.

Here is where a sense of sadness seeps in; these experiences seem to be the exception. We are way too aware of ourselves (mind you, when I say we, I'm just admitting that this is true for myself). We fear being rejected: we feel as though rejection of that one portion really reflects rejection of the whole. Suppressing these quirks, these oddities, really does suppress our spirits; it almost seems like those parts of us begin to fade. They don't come so naturally anymore; we almost have to go looking for them.

You know how good friends point out each others quirks? In those moments,  a strange happiness is experienced--wow, those things are noticed. It demonstrates how others care for and receive each other. I just think...whoa, God sees everything I do--all the weird, quirky, i'm-really-glad-no-one-was-around-to-see-that type of stuff. And the best part? He's watching with that twinkle of sheer delight in His eyes. He's watching me be fully me:

"For you created [our] inmost being;
       you knit [us] together in [our mothers' wombs]

[We] praise you because [we are] fearfully and wonderfully made;
       your works are wonderful,
      [May we] know that full well."

My hope is that there would be a deep sense and understanding of joy as we continue to step into more and more of who we already are.