You are a unique event that happens once in a lifetime. There has never been anyone quite like you in human history. Once you’re gone, there will be no one like you. There are eight billion people living on the planet, but only one of them is you. You are special, evident!
Les Brown, motivational speaker and author, stressed the importance of each individual being unique. He reasoned, “You have to be if you survived as one out of 40 million sperm.” He continued, “You were born to win. You were born to do something valuable to the universe.”
You have all heard the saying, “They broke the mold when he (or she) was born.” If we were made from molds, this would be true for each one of us. We wouldn’t be number 112 among 600 models. We would each be number 1, out of 1.
Tanya, my wife, purchased a new dress and left one of her tags on her dresser. It was a fancy tag with a detailed border and scripted words to convey its message. It was a fancy tag with a border and scripted words. I didn’t know what it was when I took it to work the next morning. It read, “The variations and nuances of shading and the uneven texture are what gives this garment its unique character and are not to be considered imperfections.” It got me thinking. This tag’s message applies to all of us.
God could have a similar message if each of us were born with a tag. Each of us has different shades and textures. Each of us has a unique personality that should not be mistaken for imperfections.
Who would you choose to be if you could be any person in the world? They asked the question of fifty-one Miss America Pageants participants years ago. As I remember, around eighty percent said they would choose themselves if given the choice. I was initially proud of the large percentage that chose themselves as their answer. Then, I thought about the remaining twenty percent. Based on the opportunities that lay ahead, why didn’t they choose to be themselves?
Each of us must be proud to be who we are. You can’t be someone else. It is impossible to live your life as someone else. Only you can be you. We must do our best with what we have.
I sometimes feel that I should wear a sign around my neck that reads, “Work in Progress.” I know that God is not finished with me yet. Every day I live, I realize that there’s more I can do for myself. Not the man sitting next to me or the woman on the TV screen.
I recently bought a framed sign that says “The world needs who you were made to be.” I agree.
I saw a framed print in a bookstore that read, “God danced the day you were born. You are loved and you are beautiful. You are God’s gift and his personal possession. You are His gift to mankind, his gift of love. You are his.” Wow!
You must be the masterpiece you were meant to be. And aren’t we each a masterpiece? Aren’t we each a masterpiece more spectacular that the greatest work of art that any of mankind has ever made?
We were each made by God and God doesn’t make junk!
Psalms 139:13-16 puts it best, “For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. You are a fearsome and wonderful maker, which I praise. Your works are amazing, as I know. When I was created in the secret place, my frame was not hidden from your eyes. You saw my unformed form when I was woven together from the depths the earth. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.”
You have the challenge of being the masterpiece you were meant to be. You are the original edition. Don’t waste time wishing that you were someone else. You are special. Be proud of your uniqueness. Be the person you are. You have the ability to realize your potential. You have three feet around you. Use them to your advantage. Sometimes you are all that can be controlled.
You are uniquely and wonderfully created.
Rick Kraft, a local attorney and syndicated columnist, is the Executive Director for the Leadership Roswell Program. To submit comments, contributions, or ideas, e-mail to [email protected] or write to P.O. Box 850 Roswell, NM 88202-0850