I have always felt that it’s so much more fun to stand out than to fit in. If you walked into my elementary school, you could see that pretty clearly. That one little girl wearing a ridiculous outfit and making a fool of herself in front of her friends? That was me! Yup, I was the kid who shopped in the boys section at target, got everyone obsessed with mustaches and made up words, and even cut all her hair off to make a bold statement. I even remember a day on the playground when a girl called me a freak, and I responded with a smile and an enthusiastic “Thank you!”. I constantly amused myself with this little game, finding the most creative ways to throw people off from their conceptions of normal. All of these quirks of mine popped out as projections of my defining desire: to be different.
Not only does this desire characterize so much of my childhood, but it also colors my future (outside of the lines, of course!). I can’t see myself following the standard, comfortable path, where I go to college, find a companion, get a steady job, and settle down with a couple of beautiful kids. There is absolutely nothing wrong with that life. In fact, it only makes sense to want that life. But in all truth, it’s my biggest nightmare to wake up one day and find myself in that life. I want to change the world and live in 75 different countries and do unbelievable, never-before seen things! I don’t want my life to fit inside the same box as everyone else! Though this desire is surely exaggerated by my idealistic and optimistic mindset, at the heart of it, I truly want to be extraordinary.
The difficult part has always been figuring out how. How do I shine a brighter light when I’m wired with the average incandescent bulb? How do I transform myself into an original when I was manufactured by the same Sculptor as everyone else? Well HAhA, that is where my mind was being silly! Here is the truth: we are all designed to be extraordinary. God has made each and every sINgLE ONE OF US with a different mold, a distinctive set of gifts – which is pretty incredible when you think about how many people have walked the earth, and thus how many completely unique stories He had to write…but back to the point. We are all made with the same purpose – to love God, and to love others – but with a completely different means of satisfying it. God made us each as a beautiful instrument, and He is the only one who can teach us how to play it. Without Him, we’re just trying to make a melody out of a bunch of broken strings. But there is no song as beautiful as the one of love, and forgiveness, and peace, and hope, and kindness that God orchestrates. And there is nothing more spectacular than knowing the One who created you, that He is with you always, and working all things for your good. Actually, there is: the man Himself!
Since I’ve realized this truth, I have learned to stand out in the most fulfilling way. By simply accepting His love for me and sharing it with others, I am naturally set apart. I don’t follow the pattern of this world any longer. No no no, I follow the way of the One who created it! I get to be the light, I get to reflect an image of Christ – the most perfect man to ever walk the earth – to everyone I meet. I get to give and serve other people with no fear of running out. I get to be different by making a difference. And BOY does it feel good!
Oh and also, there’s more. I get to say peace out to going to college right after high school like most people do, and instead I get to travel the world for nine months and tell people about the absolute joy I’ve discovered in living a life with Christ! TALK ABOUT great ways to be different! Sorry, I just had to throw that in there because it has been my dream for almost three years now and it’s kind of the best gift God has ever given me.
Loving you close,
Claire
“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your father who is in heaven.” Matthew 5:14-16
Remind yourself that you are extraordinary exactly as you are, simply because God created you that way. Don’t waste the extraordinary He put in you on pursuits to fit in. Embrace the purpose you were made for: to be a rare spark of God’s light in this world.
