What Makes You Different?

What kind of different are we talking about today? In one of my favorite movies, the little boy, Forrest Gump, is forced to undergo some standardized testing before he enters school. The principal explains his less-than-favorable results to Forrest’s mother in the clip above by saying the famous words:

“Your boy’s different, Mizzz Gump.”

Is being different a bad thing or a good thing? Well, it depends. Forrest’s mother challenged the conclusion with a question of her own:

“What is normal anyway?”

Let’s take a look at the Creation account to see what’s normal and what’s different–and then see where we fit.

Who Got the Dirt?

When God created on the second through fifth days, He did so by saying, “Let there be….” He spoke the sky, land, seas, vegetation, moon, sun, stars, sea creatures and birds into existence (Genesis 1:6-23).

Then the Creator began using dirt in conjunction with His words to create the birds and animals:

“And God said, ‘Let the land produce living creatures according to their kinds: the livestock, the creatures that move along the ground, and the wild animals, each according to its kind.’ And it was so.” Genesis 1:24–25 (emphasis added)

“Now the Lord God had formed out of the ground all the wild animals and all the birds in the sky.” Genesis 2:19 (emphasis added)

Humans Are Special

Later on the sixth day, God created man–also using “land” or dust to create him, but we discover a second very special difference in the way He created human life:

“Then the Lord God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.” Genesis 2:7 (emphasis added)

WAIT!!! I skipped the most important difference between humankind and every other creation:

“God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.” Genesis 1:27

What do you think it means to be created “in the image of God?” If it meant in the appearance of God, then everyone would LOOK alike. We know that’s not true, right?

Rather than spend a lot of time listing all the ways humans are different than water, sky, fish, birds, or things that slither, bark, or go, “Moo,” I’d like to sum up our human uniqueness with a single statement:

We were created by the Creator to be creative.

You may not think you’re creative, but if you’ve ever made a peanut-butter-and-jelly sandwich, I would argue that you’ve created something. Granted, some of us gravitate more toward creative pursuits than others, but every human being shares our God’s creative spark.

If you can form a word, the Living Word made you creative. If you can stir emotion in others by using whatever talent or skill you’re best at, the Spirit who hovered over the deep made you creative. And if you breathe in and out, the Giver of Life made you alive and for His creative purpose.

Creatives Can Be “Different,” Mizzz Gump

I can finally say without flinching that I. Am. A. Writer. I never thought I’d be one–at first because I liked people too much to seclude myself. Then after spending days, weeks, months laboring over thousands of words, I got back my first critique and felt totally inept.

When I was younger and a complete extrovert, I resisted the idea of writing. I thought writers only sat in a room alone with their faces buried in a book or computer and were–well…weird.

Actually, we are weird! 😆 And we do sit in a room alone with our faces buried in books or computers. But it’s so rewarding! Writers and other “creatives”–musicians, poets, actors, artists, etc.–tend toward the eccentric, the unusual, the “think outside the box” way of living. It can be annoying for the more steady, plan-oriented folks in the world.

The Creative Purpose Unites Us

But here’s something I’ve found true of everyone. We ALL need purpose. There’s something inside us that needs to feel useful. That need is the purpose for which God created us, and it will utilize the creative spark He placed inside us–whatever that may be.

If you’re an accountant, you may not write a book or paint a mural, but you could probably create a spreadsheet that would put me to shame!

I MUST write something every day, or I get very grouchy. It can be a simple journal entry during my quiet time, but it’s essential for my heart health to express my thoughts in written words every day. 

As I look back on my life, it’s always been there. Not writing books, but the need to express myself in a creative way. In second grade, I used to write stage plays for my little friends to act out with me. How crazy is that?

Joseph Was “Different,” Mizzz Gump

Joseph, too, was a little weird. Yes, he was favored by his father, Jacob, because he was the beloved son of Rachel, Jacob’s favorite wife. But what if Joseph’s brothers hated him because he was also the odd one? Handsome, yes, but maybe just plain weird! Why would I say such a thing? Let’s look at some evidence:

“This is the account of Jacob’s family line. Joseph, a young man of seventeen, was tending the flocks with his brothers, the sons of Bilhah and the sons of Zilpah, his father’s wives, and he brought their father a bad report about them…Joseph had a dream, and when he told it to his brothers, they hated him all the more…Then he had another dream, and he told it to his brothers. ‘Listen,’ he said, ‘I had another dream, and this time the sun and moon and eleven stars were bowing down to me.’ When he told his father as well as his brothers, his father rebuked him and…kept the matter in mind.” Genesis 37:2, 5, 9-11 (emphasis added)

Joseph was asked to do the same things his brothers did–tend Jacob’s flocks–but he tattled on his brothers! A seventeen-year-old-young man should have known better.

Joseph was given dreams. He was sure they were from Elohim. Instead of going straight to Jacob, what does he do? He tells the brothers who already hate him. WHAT?!?!?! We know from Joseph’s ability to prosper in Egypt that he’s not stupid. Is he arrogant? Maybe. But I also believe he’s…different, Mizzz Gump.

God gave Joseph those dreams–though I’m guessing Joseph doubted that several times while in Egypt–and God gave him the ability to interpret other people’s dreams. The gift that brought him grief from his family later delivered him from captivity, gained him Pharaoh’s favor, and saved the world from famine. Pretty good kind of “different,” huh?

How Are You Different?

Our personal foibles can be the thing that draws people or what pushes them away. On any given day or in various situations, our differences may feel like special blessings or terrible curses. We might not even know how “unique” we are until someone graciously (or not so graciously) makes us aware.

Maybe the following questions can help you recognize or perhaps put some of your unique gifts to use:

1. Is there something you enjoy doing more than anything else in the world?
2. Is there something you’re especially good at–either by your own estimation or according to others?
3. In what special ways are you often asked to help or serve your family, friends, or at work? (Consider whether it’s because you enjoy it, are good at it, or if it’s because no one else wants to do it! LOL!)
4. Was there something you enjoyed doing as a child that you still wish you could find time/energy/passion to do as an adult?
5. If there were no limits on time, money, or other resources (and no one would see you struggle to attempt it), what would you most like to learn to do? Or do you already know how to do something that you’d love to give a whole day, week, month, year to if you could?

Now What?

Once you’ve discovered the way or ways that our Creator created you uniquely, it’s time to ask Him to open doors for you to fulfill His purpose for you. Think about it… The Creator of the universe wouldn’t have created you to be unique if He didn’t have a unique purpose for you to fulfill–right?

So, move into the future with expectancy. Listen, watch, and be alert for ways He might direct you to use your special talent and/or passion. If you remember nothing else from today’s post, remember this:

 

Read More:

If you’d like to read more about Joseph, you can CLICK HERE to begin reading about his heritage.

And come back next week to read a blog post about how we arrived at the cover for In Feast or Famine!