Monday Morning Devotion-November 6, 2017
Being Special
He made from one man every nation of mankind…having determined their appointed times and the boundaries of their habitation, that they would seek God; …in Him we live, move and exist. Acts 17:26-28
What's so special about being special? Interesting question. Why spend time on it? Well, whether we admit it or not each of us wants to be special. But, what does it mean to be special?
The dictionary says that "special" can mean any of the following: "of a kind different from others, peculiar or unique." It can also mean "exceptional; extraordinary; highly regarded or valued."
All good, positive attributes, huh! Obviously to be special is to be set apart. That's a good thing, right?
Let's pursue this idea a little further. In an article entitled "Being Special Isn't So Special" written in 2013 by Mark Manson. He starts off by pointing out:
"There's a paradox that is stumping psychologists right now and it's this: Over the past 50 years, despite the standard of living rising dramatically in the western world, happiness has stayed level, while mental illnesses, anxiety disorders, narcissism and depression have all gone up."
What's up with that? Is it materialism? Worrying about how much stuff we have and how we are judged in the eyes of others? There is something to be said for the idea that "status anxiety" can cause people to be more anxious and thereby more stressed and impedes happiness.
Philosopher Alain de Botton, in his book "Status Anxiety" writes; "In centuries past people knew where they fit into the social order. If you were born a peasant, you knew you were a peasant. If you were born a lord, you knew you were a lord. There was no mobility or opportunity and so there was no stress about getting ahead. You weren't responsible for your birthright, so you accepted it and moved on.
Now in today's society if you're poor or you become successful and then lose it, it's not an accident. It's worse. It's your fault. You're a failure. You're the one who lost everything or the one who didn't take advantage of the opportunities to get ahead.
Everyone wants to climb the ladder to success. Rung after rung we want to move on up to the top. Reminds me of the writing of Jan Karon. Her main character was Father Tim and there was a joke teller, an old guy named Uncle Billy.
Father Tim had not seen Billy in a while so he called him on the phone and asked how he was getting along:
Billy said: "Not so good?"
Tim: "Why what's the matter?"
Billy: "I fell off a ladder."
Tim: "My goodness that's terrible Billy. Were you hurt bad?
Billy: "No. I was only on the first rung."
More knee-slapping humor from Uncle Billy. You see he had not made it very far up that ladder. Only on the first rung. That's where it's safe. Where you can't get hurt. But you don't find much success down there on that first rung. We want to climb on up one rung at a time. In fact, we'd just as soon skip a few rungs and get closer to the top. There's where you are considered special.
I once read this question posed. "What if you kept on climbing that ladder to success and when you got to the top you discovered that was the wrong ladder?" The story actually was about trying to get ahead in life to the extent that your life got out of whack. And in the end when you wanted to step off that ladder and into heaven you discovered that you had been climbing the wrong ladder.
Manson says: "In today's (internet oriented) world it is impossible to not be reminded of how somebody, somewhere, is doing something that is much cooler than you, and be reminded of it constantly. It is a bitter irony, through open-sourcing information, the internet has also opened-sourced inadequacy and insecurity." By comparing our situation to those who have gained major success in the eyes of the world we can begin to feel not-so-special."
Here's what we need to remember as Charles Stanley points out: "Each one of us is special. God gave each certain characteristics, personality traits, talents and aptitudes for a reason---for you to fulfill a unique role in history. Jesus gave you certain spiritual gifts to use in ministry for His glory."
Rick Warren says: "Most of us spend our entire lives trying to earn acceptance. We want to earn it from our parents, peers, partners in life, people we respect ourselves, and even people we envy. The desire to be accepted drives us to do all kinds of things. It can influence the kind of clothes you wear, the kind of car you drive, the kind of house you buy, even the career you choose.
Think about this because it is truly what makes you special and removes the burden you may have been feeling while chasing success. "You may have accepted Jesus in your life, but have you ever realized that Christ has accepted you? You don't have to earn it: you don't have to prove yourself." That's what truly makes you special. You don't have to struggle to climb that ladder of success, rung-by rung.
Being special can bring you loads of unnecessary stress and pressure. Or it can be just the opposite. Realizing that in God's eyes you are special because you are His creation changes the ball game. Now you only have to follow where He leads you to have the kind of life that really is special.
Prayer: Lord thank you for creating us to be special individuals unlike any others except for the way we join other special believers in growing Your Kingdom. Amen!