I know you’ve heard it before — God made you special. You may even, at this very moment, be fighting the urge to roll your eyes because you’ve heard it so often that it’s lost its meaning. It’s become a cliché at this point and you doubt there is any truth in it at all. Are you really special?
The answer is, of course, YES. There is no one else on earth who has ever lived that is quite like you. You are unique even down to your DNA, your cell structure, the number of hairs on your head, and even your eye color. No one else has had the combination of genes that you have, living in the time period in which you live, in the place that you live, with the skills, knowledge, and experiences you have, with the creativity or sense of adventure you have, the job you have (or don’t have), or even the food preferences and sensitivities you have! You are truly unique.
And while God doesn’t promise that life will be easy, He does promise that before you were even born, he knew who you were (Psalm 139). He knew who you would become and what desires you would have in your heart (Psalm 37:4). He knew what good things you would bring to this world and the talents he would instill in you, that only you, in your unique way, could bring into reality.
Now that’s not to say that your mission is unique — our mission is the same — to tell as many people as we can about Jesus, to love everyone we meet as best we can, and to grow the Kingdom of God where we’re at and abroad (Acts 1:8). So I’m not saying if you don’t do it, no one else will (Acts 10:34) — someone will always rise up to fulfill God’s will — so why not you? You be the one to do the thing you know you can do! Don’t let someone else take your place in the world, don’t set aside your dream because you think it’s too big, or let fear take it from you — put your feet down and plant yourself deep in the truth of God’s word. Know who you are in Christ and know why you belong (hint: it’s an open book test!). You have every right to fully be the person God created you to be!
While the mission may the same, the way in which you accomplish this mission is truly unique to you — you may write books, you may paint paintings, you may give people random notes of encouragement, you may listen to your neighbor for long hours offering comfort, you may support missions financially or open your home in hospitality to ministers and missionaries, you may provide meals for the hurting and the grieving, or give a burger to a homeless man. There are countless ways in which you can make an impact for the Kingdom of God and the right answer for you aligns with the dreams and desires God has placed in your heart that are as unique as you are. The thing that you do for the Kingdom is just as special as you are, and just as God counted you worth dying for, your gift is worth giving to the world.
Galatians 6:9-10 — I know we are living in a weird time right now — a time no one ever saw coming. Don’t let our current situation discourage you from pursuing what God has put on your heart. We are in the world, but not of the world. The things going on around us should be a reminder how fragile our world is, and how much more desperate the time is to get the message of Christ out! How much more should we be doing God’s will in our life?! So don’t get tired of doing what you know to do — don’t set your role aside because of fear, or current events, or politics, or a “why bother” attitude — there is never a wrong time to do God’s work. If you look at the life of Paul, he was imprisoned and beaten within inches of his life for preaching the gospel! We are not to that point, we are still free to read our Bible and tell others about Christ. If anyone had the right to give up, it was Paul. We are not in such a bad place. We don’t have such terrible obstacle to overcome. We may have some excuses to overcome, and in which case we just need to get over ourselves and do what we know to do.
What is one step you can take right now to move closer to that dream? What do you sense God is calling you to do? Jeremiah 29:11 reminds us that God has great plans for you. You have a part to play in God’s Kingdom — don’t give up on your dream! There was a message by Jentizen Franklin that said Now is the Time, This is the Place, and You are the one! It is always the right time to do God’s will and it’s not too late — get up and get to it. Let ‘er rip Tater chip!