Unique in Christ

Those of us who have been brought up in the Church have heard time and again the “You are unique” message.   We've heard that there is no one on the earth just like us, and that we are special and one of a kind.  We've also heard that we’ve been created by an awesome and loving God who does not make duplicates.   But if any of you are like me, it seems down-right impossible to fully believe this, especially when struggling with life’s ups and downs.    At times my internal dialogue sounds more like this instead: “Really, I’m special? What makes me so special?”, “I am nothing like Her aka Ms. Beautiful.  I’m so plain and ordinary”, “Do I make a difference?”, “Do I have worth?”   I go through moments where I struggle to see the uniqueness staring back at me in the mirror.   While we may cerebrally take in the “You are unique” message, does it truly penetrate to our heart and soul?   It’s a miracle that out of all the people in ages past, present life and in the coming ages- that there will only be one me.   There will only be one you!   How can any of us be that unique and specifically designed? …But we are! :)

We are surely not all the same.  Just take a look around you.  We vary in beauty, intelligence and talents when compared to others around us BUT our uniqueness is not dependent on how we measure up to the standards designed by this world.    We are unique because we are God’s workmanship in Jesus Christ!

 “For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together.” -Colossians 1:16-17

 “All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made.” -John 1:3

It is essential to first talk about who “He” is before we can understand who we are.  He is Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God the Father.  We are created through Him and for Him.   We exist to bring glory to His name.  Period.   When we believe and accept that He was slain for our sins by the Father because He was the only satisfying atonement, we begin to fulfill our purpose in this life.    Your existence should shout praises to His name because He is your Savior.  With this foundation, let us move on to who we are.   

“For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” -Ephesians 2:10

 We are God’s workmanship, His handy work, created in Jesus Christ according to His own purpose and pleasure.  Please watch the following video:

God is the Potter and we are the clay. 

“But now, O LORD, you are our Father; we are the clay, and you are our potter; we are all the work of your hand.” -Isaiah 64:8

He molds us by His vision and expectations for our future.  He sits by us refining us, over and over until we are perfect in His eyes.  This process may take years of going through ups and downs for some of us while it may be quicker for others but Praise be to God for His long-suffering for our sakes.    He never gives up on His children.  Although we have free will, He is continually shaping us into who He wants us to be if we confess the name of Jesus Christ.  He takes away the excess clay (i.e.-baggage, addictions, insecurities, bad influences, etc.) but there may be areas in which we feel that when compared to the other pots, we are not perfect.  We may ask ourselves “Why has the Potter left this area like this?  Clearly, He made a mistake or forgot.”   During these moments humble yourself and be reminded that HE is the Potter and you are HIS workmanship.  His ways are higher than yours.  His wisdom is too great for you to fathom but everything he does is for the blessedness of His children.  You need only to trust Him!

“…Shall the potter be regarded as the clay, that the thing made should say of its maker, “He did not make me”; or the thing formed say of him who formed it, “He has no understanding”? -Isaiah 29:16 

In echoing the video, remember we are all different and we all have flaws and insecurities.  But no one else in all of creation, fashioned by God, will have gone through your experiences.  No one else in all of creation will be able to do what God has created you to do.   You have immeasurable worth and purpose.   God has specially molded each of us with different faces, families, personalities, likes, dislikes, childhoods, experiences, problems and trials, goals, dreams, quirks, resources, weaknesses and strengths, triumphs and scars.

Psalm 139 can become so familiar to us that it looses its awe striking quality if it stays at the cerebral level and does not penetrate the heart.  Picture God, the Master Weaver of all things, having you specifically in mind and knitting you into existence!  I pray that the intimacy and awe-inducing force of Psalm 139:13-18, which is the “You are unique” message in it's most perfect and purest form, does not get lost for you.   I hope that you will be made afresh in the knowledge that you are special.  With the understanding that you are truly unique in Christ, I hope that you hold your worth and the worth of others in greater esteem.  Be encouraged that the work you've been created in Christ to do and the place you hold in the lives of others is just as unique as you are.   No one can do it just like you.  You are one of a kind!    

Let us gratefully and thoughtfully consider the marvelous care our Father took in shaping us into who we are, flaws and all.