So, You Think You're Special

So, You Think You're Special
Jan 4, 2010
Isaiah 43:4 ". . you are precious and honored in my sight, and because I love you. . . "

Everyone feels different. Well, that is the perspective of most people, feeling slightly different than everyone else, not exactly fitting in with the crowd. Everyone, at some point, feels like the odd man out, unsure of what to do with what makes him or her different. In a quandary with these feelings of uniqueness, and unwilling to accept the possibility of simply being labeled strange, we try to comfort ourselves when we don't quite fit in. We allow ourselves to be consoled with the words, "I am special." Feeling special is a lot more acceptable than feeling different. Feeling special is a lot more bearable and even slightly enticing when compared to the idea of being an outcast. If we can convince ourselves that somehow God made us special, then we can live with the secret pride of thinking we are slightly better than anyone else. Yeah, that's it. Because we may not fit in, we're simple better than everyone else.

This feeling of specialness and uniqueness is only exacerbated when we are attacked by Satan. As Christians, we see non-Christians who never go through the trials and tribulations we experience. We reason to ourselves when Satan leaves them alone; he wants to attack us, because, after all, we are special. Clearly, Satan attacks us because we've obviously been set apart by God for something amazing. Satan must know that if he can attack us and win, he would keep us from doing spectacular things for the Lord. Yeah, that's it, if Satan can hinder our success in this life and our Christian walk, he would be keeping us from impacting the world for Christ. Satan must somehow know about our "specialness" otherwise he would just leave us alone. Our attacks from Satan must be attributed to th e fact that we going to be superheroes.

Hopefully, you were able to read a degree of sarcasm into the above paragraphs. While these two scenarios might actually be the case for feeling different, it is not what God intends for you to believe. God wants you to have the correct perspective on how and why you feel different and the reason why Satan would attack you. Here's a news flash, you're not that special and you're not that important, neither am I. This isn't intended to insult you; I'm sure your mother loves you very much, and for very good reason. But it's not about you, it never was. Those feelings of being different, I mean, special, and those feelings of being targeted by Satan are actually valid. But it is still not about you. Satan does not care about you, you're not that important. In fact, the only time that Satan, himself, appeared to a man in the Bible was to confront the man of Jesus.

Satan is not interested in you; he is only interested in one thing. He is interested in doing as much damage to God as possible. He knows the only thing that makes you special is the fact that God views you and your relationship with Him as precious. The reason you feel different from the crowd is so you may fit in with God, through a personal and intimate relationship with Jesus Christ. The reason you are attacked by Satan is not to hinder your success in this world, but to hinder your personal and intimate relationship with the Holy One. That is what makes you special. It's not about you; it's about your relationship with God. Your relationship with Him is the most special, precious, and valuable thing to the Lord. Did you catch that? It's not about being better than anyone and it's not about what your future could bring, it's about the time you spend with God on a daily basis. It's not directly about you; it is about your relationship with Him. That's what is special. If you don't have an intimate relationship with the Lord, then you're not even on the radar screen when it comes to being even remotely special.

So, the next time you feel like you don't fit in, or the next time you feel targeted by an attack from the devil, check your daily and intimate time with the Lord. Strengthen that relationship and you'll be the most precious thing in this world; it is the most important thing you can do in this life.

1. In what ways are you different or not quite fitting in?
2. Do you view yourself as special OR precious in His sight?
3. How can you change your perspective to having a relationship with God as the most important thing you can do in this lifetime?

Add. Scriptures for Study: Jn 17:23, Rom 8:35-39, 1 Jn 4:16, 1 Jn 4:19