Misfits

To be great is to be misunderstood,

Complicated, oh hard days are sure to come;

But Misfits, be misfits of society.

Men are sure to question why you stood,

When people were laughing, they thought you were dumb;

But to be great is to be misunderstood.

They crowded together, having no variety,

You stood there beating your own drum;

Misfits, be misfits of society.

They motioned you over saying join, you could,

Still you stood, your guitar you strummed;

To be great is to be misunderstood.

They said you had no piety,

Because with them you had not come;

Misfits, be misfits of society.

And to this day some of them hum;

The song of the one who had not come;

Because To be great is to be misunderstood,

So Misfits, be misfits of society.

By: Katrina Vincent

P.S. I wrote this about 4 years ago, so it’s simple, but I believe the message behind it is crucial in today’s society. Don’t give in to pure pressure. It’s okay to not fit in.

The Epiphany of Growth: A Fairy Tale

In every fairy tale story I’ve ever read, the main character is always a victim or outcast tortured by others, or put to a test. These characters are often disliked and envied by others for reasons they themselves don’t even understand. In the end they are victorious and defeat their enemies, become royalty and live happily ever after. Now of course there are those out there who say fairy tales don’t exist and everyone is entitled to their own personal beliefs, however I choose to believe otherwise.

This is my story and in no way is it intended to draw sympathy from anyone. My story is for those who may feel discourage or simply need inspiration.

My story is not that different from 50% of the American children or young adults my age. My parents divorced when I was about 7 or 8. Of course this caused some emotional damage but life continues. Ever since I was a child I knew I was different. I wouldn’t necessarily say I was weird, but I definitely was not normal. I loved to read. I remember reading encyclopedias for fun when I was 7 and trying to learn Spanish by reading my Aunt’s college level Spanish book. I loved to write. I had the largest imagination and would write about things that were the dearest to my little heart. Also I loved to talk. I remember going to stay summers with my grandparents and staying up way past bedtime talking to my grandma.

Awhile back I found myself wondering where Katrina had gone? The me I once knew who was focused, productive and eager to learn, was not there anymore. It was then that I knew I had to come back. In our society mediocrity is acceptable in every aspect of life. I didn’t want an average life anymore because I knew that was not what God intended for my life. I was made to be different. I was made to be great. I was made to carry His cross. I was made for Him. In that moment I realized I no longer wanted to posses everything that everybody else possessed. I didn’t want to be like others. I wanted to be exactly what God created me to be. I wanted to be me.

Life is a gift and with it we must live to the fullest. I’m now 20 going on 21 and I believe this stage in life is one of the most important phases that we go through, and what is sad is that many miss out on the amplitude of growth that can come around this age in life. I almost missed out on this stage of growth until God gave me an epiphany.

Continually day after day of having dead conversations, average grades, and worst of all a dry spiritual life, I consistently could hear in my mind that voice repeating “Katrina what are you doing?” “Is this really what you want?” or “You are meant for more than this.” No matter how I tried to ignore the voice it continued to grow louder and louder until finally an event happened where I knew I could no longer live my life as I had been. Change was inevitable.

Change is something that is difficult for anyone to do but to go to new heights, change must take place.

This stage in life is important and there are 2 choices that we are given to choose from. The first is that we can choose to stay stagnant. The second is that we can choose to grow. One may say if you are in school learning, how can you remain stagnant? Well, the answer is not simple but a little more complicated. One may study for a test, but do they really learn of do they just retain the information until the test is over. When I decide to read my Bible do I really meditate on the word or do I simply give myself a pat on the back for actually reading my Bible that day. It’s things like this that may appear as growth but the simple fact is they are not. They are merely endeavors that we achieve for the present time being but we do not necessarily take them with us for the future.

Growth is when we expand continually in every area of life. We grow in knowledge by reading. We grow in knowledge by studying. We grow in knowledge by listening. We grow in knowledge by writing all that we learn in our minds permanently. We grow spiritually by reading, reading His word. We grow spiritually by studying, studying His word. We grow spiritually by listening, listening to His word. One that wishes to grow must learn to live a studious, focused and faithful life.

I wanted this. I knew I could no longer live a stagnant life; it just didn’t look good on me. Everybody who was or has ever been anybody did not live an average life. Jesus was not average. Albert Einstein was not average. Martin Luther King Jr. was not average. No one who has left a footprint of legacy in this world went about thinking like everyone else, acting like everyone else, or just simply wasting time like everyone else. They seized every minute available and used it to build themselves up. They built their faith by staying focused on God’s word if they had a call of God upon their life. They read books to expand their knowledge. They wrote to share their most inner creative thoughts.

I was smacked in the face, literally God had smacked me in the face with a new outlook on life. I decided that I no longer want to live the normal college life of just passing classes and hanging out with people, and maybe reading a scripture or 2 a day. This was not the life for me anymore. I wanted to be different.

People say fairy tales don’t exist, but I beg to differ. This is my fairy tale. I was a victim of myself. I was tortured by distractions. Just when everything seemed like it would fall, my King came and rescued me. No matter what happens in my life be it good or bad, with God I will live happily ever after.