We all love a good origin story. Typically, the characters in these stories don’t think they are much or have much but they do know this: they are made for more. When we read the stories of these hero’s we seem to forget this one thing:
They didn’t know they were heroes at the time.
Wouldn’t it be great to see into the future of what we could become? What is your origin story? We all have one. You just have to go back to the beginning. To your origin. Originalty comes from the word origin. Imbedded in the word original, is the word “origin.” Your origin story is unique just like your personal originality you show the world has purpose.
“Each facet, feature and divet from your life is an imprint that you were made to be durable, exceptional, remarkable.”
Your beginning isn’t from your first memory of when you were riding bike without training wheels or finding flowers in the front yard that are picked specifically for mom. You have to keep going back. You have to go back to the very beginning. Your origin story starts back with Adam and Eve. They were original masterpieces from the Creator, Himself. Each with their own forms, features, fingerprints and functions. They were originals. And no one has been the same since. And neither are you. God doesn’t make us from His “spiritual assembly line” attaching our features and personalities together like toys, cars or appliances. Each of us hand-sculpted by God himself made with our unique features, different personalities and exclusive perspectives. Each of us made originals and celebrated as unique.
David in the Bible was original. But those around him tried to replicate him. They were forcing him into a soldier like everyone else. Make him into Saul by wearing his armor. He couldn’t do it. He knew the only way to win the battle was to be himself. While everyone else mimicked the training as soldiers, David knew that No one in Israel’s history would take down an entire army with a slingshot. No average person could do that. But God doesn’t take average, ordinary and common. He makes unusual, extraordinary and uncommon men and women. Maybe your feeling of “being out-of-place”, the questioning of “do I belong here” and the disconnected thoughts of “no one understands me” is really the evidence of your unique call and destiny on your life to resist the armor. God gives us slingshots when the world is forcing it’s armor upon us that doesn’t fit to show us we are on the right path to becoming Kings and Queens of our own destinies. Be Yourself.
My father-in-law is a geologist. He studied rocks for a living. My father is a brick layer. He was in the construction business building homes, shopping centers, etc. While rocks and bricks are similar in texture and suitable in purpose, God makes it clear in 1 Peter 2:5,
“You are living stones…”
God did not make a living bricks he made living stones. Bricks are mixed, cut and trimmed. But stones are unique because stones are formed by the environment. Stones are forged by the elements that come against them. Depending on the circumstances, each stone has a unique story to tell as to why it’s smoother, rougher, larger or smaller than the rest. So do you. Your story, your experiences, your past and your present and collectively make up your unique expression to the world. Each facet, feature and divet from your life is an imprint that you were made to be durable, exceptional, remarkable. Your individuality is critical to kingdom. That doesn't mean there aren’t convictions and standards that we ALL follow because we also believe in unity. We follow morality. We align with sprituality. We combine to form community. We unify together under Christianity. But in the midst of all of this, we were always meant to be ourselves. Oscar Wilde said it best,
“Be yourself ….everybody else is already taken”. – Oscar Wilde
While living in DC I had the privilege of seeing many originals by many artists: Leonardo da Vinci, Rembrandt van Rijn, Vincent Van Gogh, Claude Monet, Picasso, etc. What made these moments significant to all of us in attendance is they are "originals." They were authentic, genuine creations by these famous creators that were collected and on display for us to admire. A few doors down there was also a giant, well-lit room with large crowds in it with wall to wall creations on display. I love Claude Monet...and here there were many for me to look at and admire. The only difference is that these were not real like the priceless paintings in Monet exhibit but replica’s. These copies were souvenirs to collect to hang on dorm room walls, apartments and as inspiration for aspiring future artists. Being an original makes you valuable. Copies are cheap for a reason.
You can be a masterpiece or you can be mass-produced. That’s why there is nothing more special to God than for you to be the you because that is what God is waiting for and what the world is looking for. Original comes from the Latin word meaning, “the first in time.” Or in other words, you are “one of a kind.” No one will ever be like you. Your DNA is unique. Your fingerprints only belong to you and no one else. Your heartbeat is a genuine “soundprint” that has is unique only to you. You were made to be different; to stand apart; to be a genuine expression of the creative mind and heart of God. In a world that seems to celebrate conformity, God desires you to resist against it. You were always meant to be yourself! Don’t be conformed to this world but be transformed to be a unique translation of God’s heart and voice in the world.
“You can be a masterpiece or you can be mass-produced.”
While that sounds noble and powerful, being an original isn’t as easy as we think. It’s hard to find the real you. How do you discover the real you?
How To Discover The Real You:
Re-trace your Beginning
Where you came from matters. Because it produced who you are today. The choices you made the path you followed, the good decisions and the bad decisions all collectively add up to your life. Every choice has etched itself into your life to make an impression and lead you to a destination. Take a look back in your own personal history book and make a note of the highlights of your life. Retrace back to the low times and the struggles. How did you overcome. Even David understood the power of retracing your steps “then” to give you significance “now” with this Scripture:
“Your servant has killed both the lion and the bear; this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, because he has defied the armies of the living God.” -1 Samuel 17:36
Spot the Areas In your life where you are being fake
Being fake to others will only slow you down. To navigate life successfully you need to be authentic – to be able to counter external influences pulling you to be someone you’re not. Whether it’s intentional or not, we know when we aren’t being ourselves. In a typical day, most of us will have at least some time when we can be truly ourselves, but their are also parts of the day when we are putting on a performance. We put on a facade that everything is going well. We feel pressure to present ourselves positively to others. While we can’t always “express how we always feel all of the time” we should be able to find places, spaces and faces to be ourselves with, in and in front of. And the best place to be the most honest with is with God:
“You have searched me, Lord, and you know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways.” - Psalm 139:1-3
Celebrate the Unique Traits that make you, you
First, find out what your strengths are. Go online and takea Briggs Meyers test, an Enneagram test, or buy the Gallup StrengthsFinder 2.0 book. There are even more robust ways to discover your unique talents, abilities, and ways of thinking by talking with a mentor, coach, etc. Self-understanding and self awareness is key. Knowing yourself well leads to leading yourself well. The more you embrace and love the parts of you that make you unique, the more you will see that people actually like you for “that specific reason.” We are often our worst critics. The parts of us that we deem as the most expressive and intrusive and are the parts that people really see as really the most impressive. God says it best,
“You made me; you created me. Now give me the sense to follow your commands. May all who fear you find in me a cause for joy, for I have put my hope in your word.” - Psalm 119:73-74