One night, just as I was going to bed, I went to check my e-mail on Yahoo and they had posted a photo of an all black penguin on their news page. It was one of the top stories of the day. A story of a penguin made the top stories list. Why?
Apparently it’s a very rare penguin. One in a zillion, according to the article. Wow! One in a zillion! Nobody has ever seen one! The article teased and said that he was very underdressed for a penguin (no tuxedo) and “look at those legs!” Evidently his legs are much thicker than your average penguin. Poor guy. Not only is he under dressed but he’s also got fat legs – sometimes I can relate!
We tend to call it an oddity – you know, when something doesn’t fit in with it’s surroundings or it isn’t like the others of its kind. It’s odd – it doesn’t belong. Poor penguin.
Seriously, this bird is one in a zillion and we feel sorry for it? It’s had articles written about it for crying out loud! How many penguins can say that? It will go down in history and be studied for generations. Scientists will probably flock (no pun intended) to that very location just so they can study that bird. It will get more attention than any other penguin in history and all because it doesn’t fit in with those around it!
So what am I saying? Not fitting in is a good thing?
Yep!
Not acting like everyone else and talking like everyone else and not wearing the same “trendy” clothes as everyone else is a good thing?
Yep!
Look, I’m a strange bird. I’m a little off. I don’t fit in with everyone. Never have. Never will. You may not either. You may not look the way everyone thinks you should look. You may not dress the way everyone thinks you should. Your legs may be larger then everyone else’s around you – but the fact of the matter is – you’re one in a zillion. And the reason you’re one in a zillion is because God made you that way. No one alive before, now or in the future was or will be created to be like you.
God wanted you to stand out amongst a crowd because if you didn’t – how would you draw people to him? If you’re just like everyone else around you, how would anyone notice you enough to realize you’ve got something special? You’ve got something they need – HIM!
Embrace your uniqueness ~ it’s what makes you “one in a zillion” and it’s what makes you a vital part of God’s kingdom.
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[...] Over on Nicole O’Dell’s website Choose Now Ministries, C, I wrote an article about being one and a zillion. You were created to be unique and in this blog post, I urge you to grasp a hold of that fact and live it to the fullest! You can check it out by clicking here! [...]
First off, penguins are pretty cute, so I’m sure this oddball is still adorable. And maybe just a little like us? Somehow I usually feel like the odd one out. I like the thought that there’s a good reason for that. Even a greater purpose, too.
Barbara Hartzler recently posted..Holy Paris Gellar: 8 Emerging Godly Girl Websites
Totally agree that it’s for a greater purpose!
Thanks for commenting, Barbara!