Relationships (part 4) - Me, Myself, and I

God wants us to see ourselves the way that he sees us: Unique, Special, and Just Right

You are Unique –
There is noone else on this planet who has the same fingerprint as you.
Look at your finger. See all the lines on your hand. The little tip of your finger is all it takes to identify you from everyone else in the world.
I am a twin. (mostly identical – he and I are completely different people)
Personalities, styles, food (cucumbers / tomatoes)
Have you ever wondered what it would be like to be a Siamese twin?
A pair of 20+ yr old Siamese twins was being separated this past week. They were joined at the skull. They both died as a result of complications. Do you think that they had some differences?
Who are you the most like? (Your mom, dad, best friend) Are you exactly like them? No.

You are Special –
What does God do? Students answer

God is interested in and loves you specifically (here’s what the Bible says)
Psalm 139:2-4
Lord, You have examined me, and you know me. You alone know when I sit down and when I get up. You read my thoughts from far away. You watch men I travel. You watch me when I rest. You are familiar with all my ways. Even before a single word is on my tongue, you know all about it, Lord.

Matthew 6:26
Look at the birds. They don’t plant, harvest, or gather the harvest into barns. Yet, your heavenly Father feeds them. Aren’t you more important than they?

Do you get that? God, the creator of the world, cares for you. He knows what you are doing. He knows what you are thinking.

You are Just Right –
God made you just the way he wanted to make you
Psalm 139:13-16
You alone created my inner being. You knitted me together inside my mother.

I know I’m special, ‘cause God don’t make no junk.

We live in a world of makeovers. (The extreme makeover…)
Why aren’t we satisfied with who we are? Why do we want to be something else, something “better”?
How about the world’s sexiest man or woman? Do you think that they think that they are the sexiest?

The truth is that all of us have something that we would like to change. And if it were to change, then we think we would be more acceptable to more people.

Sometimes there is something about our physical appearance that we would like to have changed:
I have a big forehead and pointy nose (I think). Saira likes my nose, and she agrees that I have a big forehead.

I have learned that my nose is okay just the way it is.

Would you go up to your friend, and tell him that because his ribs stick out a little bit you would prefer that he play on the shirts team instead of the skins team when you play basketball. Would you tell your girlfriend that you would prefer to not go to the beach with her because her left big toe is bigger than her right? No.
Be honest, how many of you have ever told yourself something like that?

Other times there is something about the way are socially that we would like to change:
I’ll be walking be someone in the hall. They will say, “Hi”, and I’ll respond with a very confident, “hi”. As soon as they pass by I’ll begin this conversation with myself:
“John you idiot. Why can’t you just say, “HI”. I couldn’t hear you. I’m sure they couldn’t hear you. Are you shy? Are you embarrassed to say, “HI”.
And then I’ll practice for next time.

Can you guys relate to anything like that. Have you ever had a moment that you would like to just take back. A moment of true embarrassment?

God made you unique. He made you special, and He made you just right.

How do you relate to yourself? Do you look down on ________________ (put your name in the blank)? Are you embarrassed of ________________? Are you so proud of ____________ that know one else can measure up (i.e. ____________ is better than everyone else)? Or do you see _____________ as a person? Do you care about _______________?
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Breakout Session Guide D.L. stands for Discussion Leader -
Do people generally like themselves? Are they satisfied with who they are? Do they know who they are?
D.L. notes – You are just looking for some good dialogue with these questions.
What perceptions do people have about other people and how they see themselves?

How well do people know themselves? What does it mean when someone says, “I have to go find myself?”
D.L. notes – Again, we are looking at what their perceptions are, and having some
dialogue.

What do you think is the biggest complaint that girls have about themselves? What do you think is the biggest complaint that guys have about themselves?
D.L. notes – If you feel like it, dig a little deeper here. Simply ask why. “Why is there
a difference between girl and guys complaints, or why is there a similarity?” “Why do
they see themselves that way?”

Pair off in your group (preferably with some that you know fairly well). Write down five words that describe that person. Write down five words that describe you.
D.L. notes – These five words need to describe them as a person. Only one of the words
Is allowed to focus on what activities they do or what they look like).
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Teen Questionaire:
My name is ________________________________

I am ______ yrs old.

My birthday is _____________________

I have (how many) _____ pets and they are (what types of pets) … ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

My favorite color is _____________

I am most alert in the (time of day) _______________________

I want to be a (career) ______________________________ when I graduate.

Most people don’t know that I (interesting fact) … ________________________________________________________________________

I am afraid of ______________________________________

When I am bored the first thing I do to not be bored is ________________________________________________________________________

Sad movies make me _________________________________

Happy movies make me ________________________________

The place that I feel like I belong the most is ___________________________________

The person (people) who love me the most are __________________________________

When I feel hurt I
____ Let everyone else know
____ Don’t let anyone know (including myself)
____ Go off by myself and cry or hit something
____ Try and talk my feelings through with the person who hurt me.

If I could change three things about myself they would be 1) _______________________ 2) ________________________ 3) ____________________________
What do you want on your tombstone? ________________________________________________________________________