What Spice Girl Are You?

by Kristin Chessrown

Kristin Chessrown is a young lady with a laser target focus on being who God has created her to be. She does not settle, will not bend to peer pressure while loving every person she comes in contact with. She has an innate ability to see untapped potential in others while celebrating who they are right this very minute. Kristin knows what it means to experience great loss as well as great intimacy with her loving Heavenly Father. You will be blessed by hearing her heart today.

In case you weren’t an adolescent girl in the ’90s and you missed the craze that was the Spice Girls, let me break it down for you.

The Spice Girls were the epitome of girl power.
They were the soundtrack to young girls figuring out who they were and what they wanted to be.
They were the guiding light to the “you can do anything” movement for young ladies of the ’90s.
They were a girl band of five vastly different styles and personalities.
And every girl had their favorite one.

• Sporty Spice (Mel C.): Athletic and energetic, the “tomboy” of the group.
• Scary Spice (Mel B.): “Wild” and “crazy” loud and always prepared for a good time. Frequently dressed in animal print.
• Posh Spice (Victoria Beckham): More withdrawn and shy than the others. Fashion-forward with a straight-laced attitude, classy & firmly a member of the British middle class.
• Ginger Spice (Geri Halliwell): Fiery and outspoken; a natural leader of the pack.
• Baby Spice (Emma Bunton): The youngest member of the band. Girlish, sweet, and innocent; loves her mum and her stuffed animal collection.

I grew up with all the guys.
Lots of uncles.
Lots of male cousins.
Sandwiched between two brothers.

I proudly wore the badge of tomgirl and so OBVIOUSLY I was Sporty Spice.

Except.
I wasn’t.

She was never really my favorite.
And all of those guys knew it.

I’d boast about being Sporty Spice and all of my girlfriends would go along with it because I was sportier than them…
(and honestly none of them wanted to be Sporty Spice, so no one was going to fight me on it)

But my family knew.
They saw right through it.
They saw me in my element.
They knew the real me.
I was Posh Spice through and through and there was nothing I could do to hide that.

I thought being Sporty Spice would make me fit in better with all the guys.
I thought being Sporty Spice would give me more value, make me more liked,
make me easier to love.

You know what I’ve learned though?

I never had to be any of it.
They didn’t love me because I was “one of the guys”
They loved me because I was ME.
The guys didn’t care which Spice Girl I identified with.
They just wanted me to identify as myself.

You know what I’m still learning?

God never asks us to be anything other than ourselves either.
He loves all the Spices just as they are,
and you and I just as we are.
We don’t have to try to be a better spice girl,
We just have to try to be a better us,
and he helps us every step of the way toward being the best YOU Spice that you can be.

Because

“While we were still sinners Christ died for us.”

Romans 5:8

Before you chose him.
Before you got dressed this morning.
Before you tried to be the perfect Sporty Spice, Baby Spice, Ginger Spice, Scary Spice, Posh Spice, Mom Spice, Daughter Spice, Christian Spice.
Before you decided which spice you wanted to try be…
He decided you were Beloved Spice.