'Clumsy' is a label you can't afford to give yourself

Do you consider yourself clumsy? Many singles do, and that's wrong.

For years I thought of myself that way, because I was a washout at sports. I was always the last person chosen for the teams in high school, and sometimes it seemed as if I could barely carry a stack of books and walk down the hall at the same time.

Like many people, I made the mistake of thinking that because I occasionally did awkward things, that I was a clumsy person. As if I couldn't do anything right. That wasn't true with me, and it isn't true with you.

Two simple solutions

Over time, I realized that I could reduce my accident episodes by doing two simple things. I asked myself why I sometimes knocked over a glass of milk at the dinner table and why I dropped things. The answers were obvious.

I found that if I slowed down drastically when I was reaching for something, I had fewer accidents. I also noticed that if I made sure I had a secure grip before I picked something up, I didn't drop things.

Now those are hardly genius discoveries, but they actually did eliminate much of my so-called clumsiness. I was simply in too much of a hurry.

In the wake of causing fewer messes, I began to think about how I had been labeling myself, and the wrong conclusions I had come to.

Being too hard on yourself

As a rule, we singles are way too hard on ourselves. Some of us wonder why we can't attract a mate, and we start looking for reasons. We begin to imagine things that aren't even true. In short, we beat ourselves up, and it puts us in a pessimistic, depressed state.

Our society loves to rank people, to make us all feel that if we were rich or celebrities, we'd be blissfully happy. Ha! Have you checked out the divorce rate for celebrities? And rehab centers may as well have revolving doors.

Let's not be fooled. We singles are not clumsy, ugly, or second class citizens because we don't have a spouse.

The opinion that matters most

You and I are both influenced by our environment. We get caught up in this world, even though we shouldn't. When we compare ourselves to others, we'll often feel clumsy, or some other negative emotion. What we forget is that God creates each person as a unique being.

He is not impressed by externals. The Bible says:

The LORD sees not as a man sees; man looks on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks into the heart. (1 Samuel 16:7)

That's a good thing to remember when you feel clumsy, stupid, or ugly. It's God's opinion that matters, and he loves you with a powerful, individual love.

So don't label yourself. Believe the Bible instead of TV commercials or magazine ads. Base your life on the opinion of you that matters most--God's.

---

Return to top of clumsy page