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Somehow the topic makes me imagine thousands of black umbrellas with one red umbrella standing out. Sometimes we want to go unnoticed like those black umbrellas and sometimes, we want to be the red one which no one can miss seeing. Be it to blend into the crowd or, stand out and grab attention; we more often than not, put on a disguise to be accepted. Though I wear a numerous masks on a daily basis myself, I find the whole act saddening. Why is the desire to be acceptable so strong that we forget the purpose of being created so uniquely different from one another? When the Creator created the universe, He probably intended for zero replicas. Isn't it a wonder that no two snowflakes are identical! Each cloud, each flower, every tree, every leaf, and even water molecules are different from one another! Why, even identical twins are not hundred percent identical. But we ignore the beauty of the uniqueness in which we were created and pour ourselves into the casts of the society. Seeking approval of the crowd we lose our individual identity and end up cloning someone else. We drown the voice of our individual drummer and march to tunes that have the society's stamp of affirmation on them.
Amidst mimicking one another
there comes a niggling voice from within that declares we are different. Of
course, we are. But how well do we appreciate or even understand our own
differentiator? How much do we put in to display these to our advantage? How
much confidence do we portray in our own abilities without being termed
arrogant or proud? How much do we know of our gifts and be humble about it? How
much do we know our weakness and use it to be our strength? How well do we know
what differentiates us from the crowd?
I cannot stop but remember the verse from The Bible: Philippians 2:5-11; Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is about every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Jesus sets a perfect example of how maintaining your differentiator can set you apart. Jesus, though he was in the form of God, born in the likeness of men, lived like a human, humbling himself. He healed, He forgave, and He sacrificed. He maintained his differentiator but never once did he loose his identity of being found in the human form. No wonder, He was exalted and bestowed on him was the name above every name that gets people to their knees.
The way Jesus knew his differentiator; we ought to find ours too. Nurturing your differentiator gives you a competitive edge that can make you stand out for a life more than ordinary. It is your individual identity that needs no disguise to make you the cynosure in the crowd. To identify your differentiator, focus on understanding and accepting yourself for who you are. You have been created by God who is a perfectionist. He created you for a very special purpose giving you everything you need to fulfill that purpose. He never intended you to fulfill that purpose by wearing a mask. Gravitate towards things that enhance and add value to you. It is not bad to have a role model but realize that one day; you would to look into the mirror to find a role model. Crush those boxes of confinement that you have been taught to grow up in and explore the possibilities. Create your signature statement. Be it in style, personality or even attitude without ever forgetting what your purpose is and remember, you need no disguise to hide or, show the perfections and gifts that has been bestowed upon you. Be the umbrella you want to be. Blend in or, stand out but do it without a disguise.
