Your 'Different' Matters: Embracing God's Masterpiece

Growing up, rarely did I hear the word ‘different’ used in a positive context. Different was primarily a negative connotation to describe people in my family and community. It was also used as an adjective to describe me. As a young girl, being labeled as different developed a gray cloud in my mental space that followed me for years. Every time someone told me that I was different, it bothered me. Even if it was as a compliment, it still bothered me. I did not want to be different, I wanted to fit in with everyone else.

Why? In my family circle, different was used as a cover up word to label people as weird, crazy, unintelligent, etc. ‘Different’ was the marker used to create an invisible separation between my family members. Subconsciously, I built this secret resumé with attributes about my family/community based on what I heard about them. I would keep a running mental list. For example, if a relative told me that another family member was 'different' because they ask a lot of questions, I would label them as a nosy person when in actuality, they are inquisitive and ask questions to better understand. It was a toxic habit that I did not know was toxic at the time.

Regardless of how I felt, the label of ‘different’ followed me. It was normal to be running errands, talking in a group of people, or at an event and someone mentions to me- "there's something different about you." Every time I would hear that statement, I would internally cringe. I was so fixated on trying to be like others that I failed to tap into what God has planted in me- uniqueness. I decided to do a self introspection on why the word 'different' triggered me to have such negative reactions.

The hardest part of finding my 'different' was knowing where to begin. Should I dive into my family history? Talk to my parents ? Read books? In the midst of racking my brain, my grandma’s words rested on my mind and heart. My grandma will always say “take it to the Lord in prayer.” So I did. I had a raw conversation with God about my authentic feelings and desires to find me. God didn’t outline an entire plan for me to follow, but He did give me my first step which was to read his Word. I started searching His Word for what it said about being different and I came across these scriptures that spoke to my soul.

Psalm 139:13-14 "You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother’s womb. Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it."

Ephesians 2:10 "For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago."

Jeremiah 1:5 “I knew you before I formed you in your mother’s womb. Before you were born, I set you apart and appointed you as my prophet to the nations.”

Jeremiah 29:11 "For I know the plans I have for you—this is the Lord’s declaration—plans for your welfare, not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope."

1 Peter 2:9 "But you are not like that, for you are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light."

It was refreshing to connect with God through His Word. It was also validating to know what He thinks of me and what I should think of myself. A masterpiece, wonderfully complex, chosen. Wow! My perspective began to shift for the better. My ‘different’ was the initial thought God had in mind when he formed me in my mother’s womb. My different is attached to the name my mother gave me at birth. My different are the experiences that I encountered throughout my life. My different is my present.

There is a reason why we are all different and why it matters. People's 'different' have contributed to amazing results, phenomenal changes, and movements in our world. I have a God ordained assignment that I can only carry out in this world. I have an influence that only I can give that will be impactful for the change needed in this time. Who I am and what I do matters. Now, I am embracing my ‘different’ and living it out unapologetically. I am on this earth for such a time as this and have no more time to waste.