And...

I have been interested by the Gilette advertising campaign called 'Use Your And'. It's not often that I pay attention to adverts but I think the concept behind their campaign is a really good one. The idea is not to give in to labelling and to think of all the good things that define you. Everyone is so complex; you can be lots of different roles and have all sorts of desires and interests which may not fit in a particular box. I always think of American teenage films at this point, where they have the groups: 'jocks', 'geeks', 'mean girls' etc.

So, on the advert Gilette say 'they told you were pretty, say "yes, and?"''; the idea being to not stop at that one pigeon-hole. It inspired me because I think it is so easy to believe what other people see you as being, how you look on face-value. The line that got me in the advert was, 'shy but bold'. I have had a few wobbles in confidence the last few months, especially when it comes to leadership roles and what I can bring. I am not a natural up-the-front person. But I am gradually believing that I can be 'shy' and also bold too. I need to resist believing something about myself which is not true just because it is easy to give myself a label.

Bringing God into this, I am thankful that He sees all that I am and that He created every bit of it. There some parts of me which don't always seem to fit, or desires which I am yet to fulfil. But I know that they are not out of place (as long as they don't contradict what the Bible says!) and God has planned them all for a purpose. A big one for me is writing. I still don't know what purpose God has for this desire. But I enjoy that part of me so much and I won't keep it hidden; it is who I am!

What is your 'and'?