Psalm 119:73 Thy hands have made me and fashioned me.
Last week, our family went to see the new movie, The Greatest Showman. We had heard some positive things about it and thought that we would give it a try for ourselves. And I’d have to say, in my opinion, it did not disappoint. While it was not a perfect family movie, it was a great movie, with a fantastic message.
One of the most notable things about the movie was how the great showman, P.T. Barnum, brought unique individuals together who were outcasts of society, and he brought out hidden talents in each of them that the world had refused to give a chance. And each person’s contribution to the circus was as unique as they were.
YOUR CONTRIBUTION IS AS UNIQUE AS YOU ARE
And in life, it is much the same way. David said in Psalm 119:73 that not only did God “make us” (create us), He also “fashioned us” (made us uniquely individual). When David spoke in Psalm 139:16 of being “fearfully and wonderfully made”, I don’t believe that he was referring to a Christian cookie cutter assembly line.
We are all created by God, but each of us have been created with individual talents and traits that the world has never yet seen outside of us. And as a result, our calling, our purpose, and our contribution to the cause of Christ are to be as unique as we are.
And this is true for our children as well and why it is important to remember that no two children are exactly the same, nor should they be expected to be.
Just as every child in your family and mine is completely unique in their own way, their very calling and contribution in life is as unique as their personality and fingerprints are. So we need to be very careful in comparing our children to each other, or even to other people’s children. Our job is to nurture and raise each individual child that God has placed into our care by helping them become the person that God has created them, and only them, to be.
Proverbs 22:6 Train up a child is the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.
BUT IT DOESN’T STOP THERE
We could certainly take this beyond the realm or our children and into many other areas of life as well.
This principle is the same reason why no two churches, pastors, families, individual Christians, or ministries are exactly the same or should be identical. Yes, we all should hold to the same core Biblical beliefs, but no, we are not to be twins in the way that we operate our lives or ministries.
God never intended for us as Christians or ministries or families to be in competition with one another or to simply replicate one another. While we should be all about sharing ideas and learning from others, there is no “copy and paste” button with God. We are each uniquely created for a unique calling and contribution. Yes, we need our similarities, but we actually thrive in our diversities.
God created each of us to be uniquely individual – an expression of the amazing creativity of our awesome God. That means that the way that we see things is different. The way that we do things is different. And the way that we carry out God’s calling in our lives is often unique to each of us.
THERE IS UNITY IN OUR DIVERSITY
Surprisingly, there is great unity in our diversity. And in some ways, there is even greater unity in our diversity than there is in our similarities, because God has called each and every one of us as Christians, parents, pastors, and laymen to do something for Him that is as unique as we are. He has called us to fill a role, raise a child, build a church, operate a ministry, or reach a specific group of people in a way that no one else could. Because we each have a custom fit calling that no one else can perfectly squeeze into.
And as a result:
- No two families will be identical in the way they function, and neither should they be.
- No two ministries will be exactly alike, neither should they be.
- No two Christian will agree on every detail of how they practically carry out their walk with Christ, and that’s okay.
Yes, we all have the Bible to guide us in general things that will never change, but we also have each been given the Holy Spirit to guide us in a uniquely personal way on a level that can never be mass produced or duplicated. (I Corinthians 2:9-13, 12:4-11)
For example, 4 years ago, I started this blog to fill a need that God had impressed upon my heart to fill – to provide practical tips and tools to parents and leaders to effectively reach the next generation. To my knowledge, there was no one in our circles doing what I felt that God was specifically calling me to do – be a voice through this avenue for the next generation. And as a result, this ministry/blog has become a unique expression of God’s design for the family. In fact, it’s as unique I am (and that’s pretty unique, just ask my family.)
I love what my friend, Martin Van Tilborgh, shared in his book, Unboxed. He said, “God is not looking for uniformity! He’s looking for diversity. He is looking for an expression of His manifold wisdom through each and every individual in a unique way… When we all realize that what I have to bring to the table is unique to me, I keep myself from trying to become someone (or something) else… It’s all about giving birth to the very thing that God created you to give birth to. Something so unique that it doesn’t have a point of reference anywhere else. Nobody else ever gave birth to what you are supposed to give birth to through your life.”
Wow… Those are definitely some great thoughts to chew on.
As we enter a new year, I’m asking God to show me what unique things He wants to do in and through me concerning my family, ministry, and personal walk with Him. Would you join me?
Jeremiah 33:3 Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and show thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not.
What kind of contribution did God create you to make in His world that is as uniquely designed as you are? Are you making it? In your ministry, in your home, in your children? I dare you, ask God what it is, and watch Him reveal it to you. It might just surprise you.
