Being Uniquely You ~ A Guest Post by @JenniCatron

Team C4C is thrilled to have Jenni Catron, 
author and Executive Director of Cross Point Church in Nashville, TN, writing for us today!

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Photo by Church 4 Chicks

Today as I was zipping from one appointment to another, when the noise of the radio DJs caught my attention for a few minutes.  The local top 40 station was sharing their 5 tips on what women need to do to "worship themselves", and while that phrase alone was enough for me to tune out, I was intrigued to hear what they had to say.  Their point was that women give all our time and energy to every other relationship and responsibility in our lives, and we're not taking time for ourselves. 

Sound familiar?


As they went on to share a handful of tips that seemed pretty shallow and selfish, I realized that they are only trying to help fill the same gaping hole that so many of the rest of us struggling with.

"Over the last fifty years women have secured for themselves greater opportunity, greater achievement, greater influence, and more money.  Over the same time period, they have become less happy, more anxious, more stressed, and in ever increasing numbers, they are medicating themselves for it." ~ From "Find Your Strongest Life" by Marcus Buckingham

That statement is heartbreaking to me.  It's heartbreaking because I really believe it's true.  I've begun to see this in my own life.  Our opportunities have increased rapidly, and we're adding pressure, responsibility, and activities daily, but we're not taking the pressure off in other areas.  We're just piling more onto our already overflowing lives.

One of my greatest burdens for women is helping us truly identify and understand who God has made us to be and to embrace that wholeheartedly.

I believe it's so critical that we do the tough work of understanding ourselves and how we are uniquely wired.  As women in particular, we have a tendency to allow a lot of other things in our lives to define us, and we lose sight of our God-given gifts, talents, and abilities.  

One of my favorite verses is a constant reminder of my need to evaluate who God is calling me to be:  Galatians 6:4-5 (The Message)  "Make a careful exploration of who you are and the work you have been given, and then sink yourself into that.  Don't be impressed with yourself.  Don't compare yourself with others.  Each of you must take responsibility for doing the creative best you can with your own life."

  

How has God uniquely wired you?  What are your strengths and gifts?  What does it look like for you to worship Him through understanding who He has made you to be?

I'm praying that God would awaken you to the beautiful, uniquely gifted individual that He has created you to be as you allow HIS power to flow through you!

Jenni Catron serves as the Executive Director of Cross Point Church in Nashville, TN, a 10-year-old multi-site church.  She leads the staff of Cross Point and oversees the ministry of its five campuses.  Prior to joining the staff of Cross Point, she worked as Artist Development Director in the Christian music industry for 9 years.  Jenni’s passion is to lead well and to inspire, equip, and encourage others to do the same.  She speaks at conferences and churches nationwide, seeking to help others develop their leadership gifts and lead confidently in the different spheres of influence God has granted them.  In 2013, Jenni co-authored a book for women leaders entitled Just Lead!  She blogs at www.jennicatron.com and contributes to a number of other online publications as well.  Jenni loves a fabulous cup of tea, great books, learning the game of tennis and hanging out with her husband and their Border Collie.