Your Uniqueness is Purposeful

What do you think about being DIFFERENT?

The idea can be a bit scary at times. We all want to fit in and sometimes that means NOT being different.

My kids and I are reading a series of books about a girl named Betsy who grew up in the early 1900s. The series began when she was 5 and has progressed through the years until where we are now and she is about to start her senior year. During her Sophomore year, Betsy went through a phase where she felt like she needed to be someone else. She wished that her hair was curly like so and so, or that she could have boys like her like so and so, or that she was more serious like so and so. She made a plan to change, got the guy she wanted, and spent the rest of the school year being someone she wasn’t.  By the end of the year, she realized all she had missed out on and decided to be more like herself.

As we read, we discussed the concept of loving yourself and being grateful for your own gifts and talents. There is no need to be like everyone else.

My sister had a favorite shirt growing up. On it were several zebras, but the one in the middle was colorful plaid instead of black and white stripes. It said “Why be normal?” I don’t think she was afraid of being different.

We’ve talked a lot about being different in our home because we do a lot of things differently.

We don’t own a TV and movie watching/screen time is a special treat.

We are book lovers.

We believe that the way we think effects our words and actions and try to control our thinking. And we do this by controlling our media.

We homeschool. Even the way we homeschool is different.

We have high standards.

We tend to eat differently.

The way we think about freedom isn’t mainstream either.

And we’ve tried to communicate to our kids that being different is good. We’ve also had conversations about how being different is sometimes hard. We’ve tried to focus on their strengths and give them the skills to be confident. We’ve explained the WHY behind the things we do. We’ve prepped them for times when others might not like the fact that they are different.

With all this preparation, it still hurts when they don’t feel like they belong. It breaks my heart to hear one of my kids crying because he/she doesn’t feel like he/she fits in.

So, when I was watching a video as part of a class I’m taking, a phrase jumped out at me—your uniqueness is purposeful.

I wrote it on a post-it note and placed it where my kids would see it. I also made sure to explain what I thought it meant.

The reasons you are unique and different will help you on your path as you fulfill your purpose and mission. Embrace what makes you different. It’s for a purpose.

So powerful!

Are you OK with being different? Because, if you want to make a difference, you need to be different.