Something, Keith Jones, the advocate for persons with disabilities, said made me stop and think. He said since God does not make mistakes, I am exactly how I am supposed to be. Keith Jones was born with cerebral palsy, which makes it difficult for him to control his muscles. However, he does not allow his disability to define him, and he is satisfied with who he is.

So many times, people are dissatisfied with themselves. Often, their dissatisfaction is because they project how society thinks they should look unto themselves. For example, a woman who wears a size 9 shoe may feel self-conscious because someone told her she has big feet because by society’s standards sizes 6 and 7 are considered the ideal shoe sizes. A person of color may have been told that their skin tone is too dark because society has mandated that lighter skin tones are more desirable. Or a person with a disability may have been told that they are useless because they do not fit within the social norm.

Now, what I do not understand is why people say such things in the first place and what exactly they want you to do about it. It is not like you can make your feet smaller, right? Obviously, saying such useless things is just something people do without even thinking about how their words may affect others.

The fact of the matter is you cannot stop people from saying what they want to say, but what you can do is learn to love and accept yourself. If you learn to love and accept yourself just the way you are then people’s words will have less impact on you. It goes back to what Keith Jones said:  since God does not make mistakes, I am exactly how I am supposed to be. Before Keith Jones, there was David. He said, “I am fearfully and wonderfully made” (Psalm 139:14).

Accept that you are fearfully and wonderfully made because you are! And do not allow what people say to define you. Even if you have big feet, you are not your feet. You are a whole person, and your wholeness is what defines you.

P.S: To learn more about Keith Jones, please visit YouTube and search for Keith Jones.