Different

I love my flowers!  Doesn’t matter what shape, what color or what size, the more different they are, the more I love them.  So when, in my full bed of only Zinnias, this lovely Sunflower popped up from who knows where, I was thrilled.  I could not hardly wait for it to open it’s beautiful face.  Isn’t that a lovely sight of 1 tall, large, solid yellow pedaled face in my sea of varied colors?  That reminded me of how it feels to be totally different.

I remember as a child, an even into adulthood, I wanted to be like the other. Smart, petite, cheer leader, drum major, basketball player, track runner, who ever and whatever it was that drew in all the attention.  Or at least all the attention that I wasn’t getting.  The one that everyone thought was “lovely”.

Romans 12:2

Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

And then………… I found Jesus.  I would love to say that the second I popped out of that water I was healed of those desires,  but it took me a minute or two or 26,280,000 Minutes (50 years).  I’d love to say that I’m healed of that desire today but not totally.  I’m better today than I was yesterday.  I’m learning and grasping that He made me perfect, just being me.  And this “me” can be different than every other and still be lovely.  Please understand that I’m now not talking about surfacy lovely either.  I’m talking about rather what’s deep within.  I have attained the knowledge that His love for me is greater than any love that is of this world.  I am lovely in my “different” to Him.  And in that different that He created me, I find value in the my “different” in a sea of others.

Romans 12:6

Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith;

It took me a while to figure out what my gifts are and I’m still learning.  It has also taken me a while to figure out how HE wants me to use them and He’s still showing me.   The thing is my gifts aren’t like every one-else’s and I love that.  I truly enjoy being with others that are different than me.  It challenges for to look beyond my box.  It challenges for to dream beyond my dreams.  My box and my dreams are special to me but those whose are different than mine are too! Different is good!

Mr. Holland Opus – click to watch

1 Corinthians 12:20

As it is, there are many parts, yet one body.

It took me longer than it should have to realize that my husbands different in our home workings was valuable.  I wanted my home to work as I thought it should.  But our thinking isn’t the same and I’ve learned that that can be very beneficial.  Also in the working world different is good.  We each have tasks that we can accomplish when other may struggle with them.  Any business needs organizational people, techie people, analytical people and so on to get the job done. To run a business you have to have different.  Some goes for the church, it’s almost impossible to meet every need there is anyway but if we all thought the same, worked the same, had the same passion then there would be a gap in the serving of the church and the community that it belongs to.  We all are different for a reason.

Romans 3:23

For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

Ultimately we are all different but we all have one thing that is the same, we all sin and fall short of the Glory of God.  Thank you to Jesus who covers that same!

Lord, Thank you for loving me as I am and loving my neighbor as they are. Amen!