My husband and I grew up in the same town but attended rival high schools. We had several mutual friends, and we apparently attended some of the same events. But we never met until I was out of college. It's a good thing, or shall I say God thing, since we both had our fair share of identity crises. We were both Christians who were solidly walking with the Lord, but we both desperately wanted to be popular.

Car and truck clubs were big things for the guys where we grew up. Guys who drove similar automobiles would form a group of sorts, and they would hang out and obsess over their cars or trucks. Many of them would have custom stickers made to go across the front of their windshields, spelling out their club name.

My husband didn't belong to a car or truck club, so he had a sticker made that said Church Boy in big bold letters. He and his baseball buddies used to drive around in their trucks, bumping loud music in an attempt to show others how cool they were. Oddly enough, the music he played did not fit with the slogan on his car. Although he knew he was different from the popular crowd, he still wanted to fit in with them. So he imitated their choice of music. Like a square peg trying to fit in a round hole, Michael just didn't fit in that crowd no matter how much he wanted to or how hard he tried.

My guess is that although car clubs may be foreign to you, attempting to fit in is not. You would much rather fit in than stand out, and you would rather follow than lead, if following guaranteed you a spot in the "in" crowd.

In an attempt to convince others to like us, we often become someone we are not. Somehow we miss the startling truth that other people will never be able to tell us who we really are. Sure, they can hand us a mask and tell us to have some fun, but this isn't a costume party—this is real life. You only get one shot at it. You were made to be somebody, and not just anybody. You were made to be you!

It's in Christ that we find out who we are and what we are living for. Long before we first heard of Christ...he had his eye on us, had designs on us for glorious living, part of the overall purpose he is working out in everything and everyone (Ephesians 1:11-12 THE MESSAGE).

On days when we feel like misfits--like square pegs trying to force our way into round holes (which is impossible, by the way)--we need to remember that there is One who made us, and He knows for what purposes He made us. If we don't seem to fit with a certain group of people or in a certain place, maybe it's because we are not supposed to be there. Perhaps there is something--and someone--better for us than what we have chosen for ourselves.

We live with limited vision and skewed perspective. Sometimes the things that seem like the absolute best to us are anything but. In times like this, God knows better than we do. He knows where you will fit perfectly.