1 Peter 2:9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for His own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.
We are in a world today where people want to toe the line of another person. A lot of us find ourselves in certain situations because we feel everyone is doing this, so if I don’t do it I’d look odd. Being different is making a conscious effort to stand out in what you do and not conform to the status quo. People find it difficult to stand out because it comes at a price. It would cost you a lot to be different. It may cost you some friendships, relationships, and acceptance by the masses.
There must be something about you that brings a distinction between you and others. In 1 Cor. 14:7, the Bible says, “If even lifeless instruments such as the flute or the harp do not give distinct notes, how will anyone know what is played?” This means difference and distinction are important. We are all unique and different so that we can complement each other, not compete with each other to show who can do what better. If I do not become who God wants me to be as a result of following what another person is supposed to be, I would end up missing out on what I have to offer others. In effect, the people who should have been blessed or made better because of my uniqueness would never have it. 1 Peter 4:10 Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms. So our differences are meant to serve others and vice versa.
From God’s Word, we can see how people like Joseph made a difference by refusing to sleep with Potiphar’s wife when he knew His refusal could cost Him his peace and land him in prison. David was sought after by Saul to be killed but when David had the opportunity to kill Saul, he decided not to. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego also took a decision to stand for God in spite of the opposition they faced. Noah was different because he and his family were upright before God. When he was building the ark, it looked as if he was stupid and he was mocked.
Here, we can see clearly that when a person decides to do the opposite of what everyone is doing, it looks weird to others, and until it begins to produce results, it doesn’t seem to be making sense. I’m sure that by the time Joseph had risen to become the Prime Minister, Potiphar’s wife now understood why Joseph’s refusal was necessary. That single action of sleeping with her would have come up and soiled his reputation. When it started to rain heavily, the people who mocked Noah now understood that Noah was not being a fool.
In the opening scripture, we are told how unique we are. This uniqueness is what must guide us in our actions. The fact that someone is doing something and it’s working for them doesn’t mean you should do the same. Believe in the capabilities God has given you and work with that. But how do we believe in capabilities we know nothing about? Spending time with God and enquiring of Him what His blueprint for our life is, would give us clarity. Because there are even capabilities you have in you that you’ve never even thought about and only God can reveal it to you since He made you. It’s okay to be inspired by others but don’t do something that’s out of God’s design for you because others did it. There are general principles for becoming anything – that works for everyone- but with regard to something that is specific to you and makes you different, God is the only one who reveals that.
Don’t be like everybody because you are not everyone.
Before we can make a difference, we need to be different.
Making a difference comes with being different. The only way people notice something is when it’s distinct from a large number of things. You can’t expect different results if you’re doing the same things you’ve been doing for years. Take the risk, break the barrier, do something that many fear doing. The greater the risk, the greater the rewards.
The Word In Clarity 