Off-Topic Thursday: Are You Ordinary?
That’s a question that struck me recently. Am I ordinary? At first I wanted to say, “No, of course not!” We all want to be extraordinary, exceptional, unique. But when I look at myself, I have to conclude I am ordinary.
- Middle class family.
- Married.
- Traditional job.
- Rent an apartment.
- Have 2 cats.
- Etc.
Even when I look at my skills and talents, other people have them, too, and I don’t think there’s a single one I’m the very best in the whole world in. I am very good in some of them, but is that enough to be considered “extraordinary”?
And then I realize I’m looking in the wrong place for the answer, and even asking the wrong question.
I am a child of God, and He is extraordinary. I have been gifted by Him to do something and be someone specific. There has never been anyone else exactly like me before, and there never will be again. He loves me.
Sure, that’s true of every other believer, too, but so what? If a vase is hand-made by a master craftsman, does it make that vase any less unique that he made others, too?
But there’s something else. I have value because of my identity in God through Christ. I have a purpose that He has given specifically to me to fulfill. That is true of everyone who is called by His Name. Nothing I can say or do can add to that value I have in His eyes or take away from it.
What does set me apart, though, is that I’m doing something with it! Not out of obligation or to earn “brownie points”, but out of love and a desire to be a good steward of what He has entrusted to me. I’ve taken the time and effort to discover/uncover it, and now I’m intentionally using what I know. Most people don’t. God has created them to be someone extraordinary, and yet they do little to nothing with what He’s given them. They may try, and then they quit when the road gets difficult. Worse, they may not try at all.
Sadly, I am extraordinary, because I am doing what most people won’t. It doesn’t have to be this way, and my desire is that through what I say and do others will be inspired and equipped to become the person God made them to be.
Questions: What about you? Are you extraordinary? Are you living the life and becoming the person God desires for you? If not, why not? Talk about it in the comments below, or on our Facebook page.
Randy Crane is passionate about helping Christians, especially those with a Disney affinity, to discover and connect to their GOD-GIVEN PURPOSE AND VALUE, to build their lives to achieve TRUE SUCCESS AND MEANING, and to POSITIVELY IMPACT their world. For more than two decades, Randy has been leading individuals and teams into a greater joy and child-like appreciation of the world around them, equipping them to reach beyond what they have previously experienced and build a God-given identity and purpose. Ready to experience that for yourself? Tell us where to send SIX free videos all created to help answer the 3 questions you need to experience PEACE, FREEDOM, and PURPOSE!