“For you created my inmost being, you knit me together in my mother’s womb.  I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made.”  ~Psalms 139:13-14

As I walked down the midway of the Missouri State Fair, his eye contact startled me.  The graying beard and ponytail, held securely by an aging red bandana, reflected a surprisingly familiar figure.  Could this man who was lazily leaning back in his chair, resting in the shade of his tend, be the famed country western singer, Willie Nelson?  Could it be that I was destined to have a face-to-face encounter with such a legend.  As I walked past him, we casually acknowledged each other with a quick nod, faint smile and a gentlemanly wave.  Then, just as quickly as he appeared, he was behind me.  Proper etiquette would not allow the luxury of a backward glance for further investigation.  But I had to know more.

Quickly I stepped out of the flowing bass of fair goers and discreetly looked back at the aging figure.  A sign apologetically propped beside his chair revealed his true identity.  It simply read, “Almost Willie.”  The meaning for the charade was apparent.  In exchange for some loose coins causally thrown in a glass jar, “Almost Willie” would sing, nasal tone included, such favorites as “On the Road Again,” “Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain,” or “You Were Always on my Mind.”

I could not help but chuckle at my early naivety and be saddened by this man’s choice in life.  The word “almost” haunted me.  It whispered of hope, potential and destiny never realized.  By his own admission he was “not quite,” he was “almost.”  He was not only “Almost Willie” but was indirectly admitting that he was “almost” Joe, Bill, Frank or whatever name he bore on more sane days.

I think it is sad when a person trades in their individual uniqueness for something less.  There are many enticing voices that invite us to sit down at that bargaining table— but it is a losing game.  When we are tempted to pull up a chair, we need to remember that God’s most precious creative gift is the “special you” in each of us.  There is no one exactly like you with your talents, gifts and potential.  Don’t compromise that give for anyone or anything.  Seek to be all that God intends for you.  

This is my prayer for you:  “Lord, help us not to make Willie’s choice our own.  Encourage us to accept, develop, and embrace our uniquely created selves and not strive to be the mere shadow of someone else.  Forgive us when we contentedly accept less than what we should be.”