“Everyone else is __ and I’m not. I don’t fit in. I must be weird or something.”

I would venture to guess that every person has had those thoughts at some point in their life.

I just discovered that this is a LIE!

Who knew?

We tend to see patterns among our associates – friends, coworkers, family members, neighbors. Because we have a strong desire to belong, we look for those who are similar to us. We join clubs, community organizations or sports teams to be one of the gang.

Then when “everyone else” appears to be united in doing the same thing or wearing the same style or buying the same products and we don’t conform, we feel like the odd one. In fact, in some social circles, that point will be brought to your attention, like:

“You don’t like football? What’s wrong with you?”
“Come on, everyone’s having a drink. What’ll it be?”
“Are you seriously wearing THAT outfit to the party?”

People pressure us to conform to whatever they are doing because conformity feels like belonging.

But it’s NOT.

And those who know this often feel like they don’t really belong.

And they are right! 🙂

On the outside, it can look like everyone is agreed on the same thing. Like employees wearing a uniform at their job – does it make them a unified team because they all wear the same thing? No, not usually.

It’s not true connection and unity.

We are each made to be unique – like snow flakes. There aren’t two that are alike.

So when you think you are weird for not being like everyone else, stop yourself and say,

“No, nobody is like everyone else – we are all unique for a reason!”

True belonging and connection comes because we are all different. I like you because although we might have some things in common, you have your own perspective, your own personality and your own sense of humor. I LIKE that about you!

On the outside you might see conformity in a group of people, but I have never in my life met two people who were alike. Never. Even identical twins are not perfect copies of each other – they each have their own tastes, talents and interests in life.

Each person is “weird” in their own way and it is a reason to be celebrated! (not rejected)

In God’s kingdom, every part does it’s share and together God’s purposes are fulfilled. The Bible says,
But now God has set the members, each one of them, in the body just as He pleased. And if they were all one member, where would the body be? But now indeed there are many members, yet one body. And the eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you”; nor again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.” If the whole body were an eye, where would be the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where would be the smelling? (I Corinthians 12:18-21, 17)

The whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love. (Ephesians 4:16)

We NEED our uniqueness to make the world a beautiful place!

Like puzzle pieces, we each have our own shape, our own edges and uniqueness. Some people will connect with certain parts of you and others will connect with a different side of you. THAT’S THE WAY IT’S SUPPOSED TO BE!

There’s Unity in Uniqueness – true belonging comes from truly being who we are. And not trying to be like everyone else because that’s just plain impossible.

I hope this encourages you today. It’s impossible for you to be weird, odd or strange – because there is no standard that everyone conforms to. You are meant to be different than others – that’s what makes you YOU.

Questions? Comments? Arguments against or Support for this idea? Feel free to post them below and let’s start a conversation about this.

Thank you for reading my “weirdness” and enjoying it too – I like you just the way you are. 🙂💗

By the way, this kind of reminds me of a recent post I did on the Rainbow Circle of Light. Each person had a different wavelength or color of light with which they glowed. Shine brightly! 😁