Cat eyeglasses, long brown braids, and full lips were not in style when I was in grade school. I was teased and degraded for looking different than most of my class and being the new girl. Being unique brought many challenges, frustrations, and disappointments. However, I didn’t get sucked into the girl’s competition during my high school years because I saw myself as different and not a beautiful girl that could compete.
Our Uniqueness Can Be Painful
Many of us have experienced living in families or going to school where we never feel like we fit in or belong, whether we are Christian or not. We may also experience life wounds from bullying, rejection, and abandonment that may have led us to believe we are alone and can never belong. If we agree with the mean bullies that our uniqueness is unacceptable, we can become vulnerable to falling prey to unhealthy groups and organizations, cults, and abusive people. The unhealthy groups and abusive predators know how to talk to lost people who have been shamed and punished for their uniqueness. They convince them that they know their pain and welcome them into their hearts or groups without telling them the cost.
Unfortunately, many churches do not teach foundational discipleship classes to help believers understand that each one of us is God’s handcrafted masterpiece. Many believers do not know that no matter how they see themselves or how other people see them, their Spirit is pure and holy once they receive salvation. Without God’s truth, they can’t see past the lies and their pain.
Once we become God’s children and a new creation in Christ, we belong in God’s family for eternity, uniqueness, and all. As Christ’s disciples, we belong to his kingdom and are merely ambassadors for Christ as we live out our mortal lives. Being a child of God and a disciple of Christ spiritually separates us from the world’s ways and confirms our uniqueness. The apostle Paul gives us a picture of our new spirit.
I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. (Gal. 2:20, ESV)
Embrace Your Uniqueness with Christ
Being a disciple of Christ is the greatest honor of my life and my most significant responsibility. Jesus was unique to the world, and all who belong to him are meant to shine like unique bright stars among the darkness. With Christ in us, we’re empowered to live in our uniqueness and show people still wandering around in pain, suffering, and darkness the hope and love of Jesus.
Believers must be unique, or we are following the ways of the world. What a relief it is to be able to embrace and walk in our Christ-uniqueness, just as our Father, God, created us to live. We can hold our heads high and embrace every unique aspect as we use it to serve and honor Him. The apostle Peter tells us that as a child of God, “We are chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, people who belong to God.” (1 Peter 2:9, NIV)
No matter how much you are teased, bullied, or devalued by others, your loving Father and Creator, God, created you to have a part in His grand plan. People will come and go, but living with your Heavenly Father and Jesus will be forever. Never forget that Jesus came to earth to endure all the pain and challenges we must face. He was unique, and so are we. As we embrace our unique spiritual path with Him, the things we endure from others will one day end.
The next time you look in the mirror, take a few minutes and think your loving Father, God, and Savior, Jesus Christ, for everything that is unique about you, whether you like it or not. God knit you together in your mother’s womb, including all your features, personality, skills, talents, and quirks. (Psa. 139:13, NIV) Thank Jesus that you are only passing through as his ambassador.
Ask Jesus to help you be His unique salt and the light as you lead others to him. Ask Jesus to help you walk in your uniqueness and serve him to your best ability today, tomorrow, and forever!
Put on your new nature, and be renewed as you learn to know your Creator and become like him. (Col. 3:10, NLT)
Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. (Rom. 12:1 NIV)
Live clean, innocent lives as children of God, shining like bright lights in a world full of crooked and perverse people. (Phil. 2:15, NLT)
