I am currently enrolled in online classes at Portland Bible College and while listening to a lecture in one of my classes my Professor, Pastor Frank Damazio, said something that really stuck with me. He said, “God puts great gifts inside of funny packages.”
To the teens out there, especially you junior high age girls, I remember what it was like to feel like a funny or strange package in junior high. As if it wasn’t already hard enough trying to deal with the changes in my body, I got sick to top things off. One morning, I woke up swollen. Now, I don’t mean just a little swollen, I mean stay-puff marshmallow man kind of swollen. Most of you younger girls won’t know what that is.
I gained over 20 pounds of water weight in less than 24 hours. My cheeks were so big it made my eyes squint. My mom had me into the doctor’s office so fast and from there I was on to a specialist. Before I knew it, I was lying in hospital bed and there I would stay for a week until they could get my kidneys under control. My kidneys were working backwards for lack of an easier way to explain it. I was retaining salt when I should have been releasing it. The doctors were actually afraid my kidneys could fail.
This lead to a yearlong diet of NO SALT. Salt is in everything young kids like to eat which means my diet stunk. It also meant that I had to go on high dosages of steroids for almost 2 years. The steroids made me puff up all over again and they made my red hair huge and frizzy. I was already teased for having red hair so the frizz only made me feel even more awkward. I know there may be some young ladies reading this today and you may also feel awkward in your body right now or maybe you have been made to feel bad about yourself because of the rude remarks of others.
I understand those same kinds of feelings. I was a funny package on the outside but the truth is that God puts the best gifts in the funniest packages and it is those gifts that outshine any outward beauty. As a teen I was not in a relationship with God like I am now. I knew he existed and I said my prayers now and then, but I had no idea just how special and beautiful I was to him. Inside that awkward package that I was there were the gifts of laughter, friendship, loyalty, and kindness. In the years to come I would find my way into a deeper relationship with God. In my walk I have learned some very important things. For example, I now see that God is not interested in how we look from the outside. He is concerned with how we look from the inside. God is concerned with the condition of our heart. If you are feeling like a funny package on the outside, remember this…. so are most of the other kids your age. The sad thing is some of them don’t realize just how special they are so they conform to the world’s idea of beauty.
You don’t need to be like that. Don’t waste your time trying to look beautiful in the eyes of the world, let your beauty come from what is within. Psalms 139:14(ESV) is a perfect verse to claim for yourself. Learn it and remember it. Let the truth in the verse speak to your heart. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well.
As I said before, God puts great gifts inside of funny packages. Never forget to share your gifts. Let them spill out of you and be a blessing to all those who are around you. Also, do not let the comments of others bring you down because you are of royal blood. Jesus Christ the King of Kings lives in you and you are perfect just the way you are. My fuzzy hair is now gone along with my puffiness but one thing is still the same. I am still full of laughter, friendship, kindness and loyalty. God has also filled me with many other gifts and when I look in the mirror I still see the same funny package and I am happy with who I am. I hope you are happy with yourself too.
Written by Kim Chaffin
Written by Kim Chaffin
