Different and Unique!

Luke 15:3-7

Jesus spoke this parable to the scribes and Pharisees: ‘What man among you with a hundred sheep, losing one, would not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness and go after the missing one till he found it? And when he found it, would he not joyfully take it on his shoulders and then, when he got home, call together his friends and neighbours? “Rejoice with me,” he would say “I have found my sheep that was lost.” In the same way, I tell you, there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one repentant sinner than over ninety-nine virtuous men who have no need of repentance.’

Food for Thought:

The parable of the lost sheep is a clear indication that in God's economy everybody counts. It means that one is as good as many and many are as good as one. Why this? Because there's none of us somewhere else; if any of us is lost there's no more of us living somewhere. It means there's is only one of you, only one of me; you're not repeated and are not repeatable. When we're lost we're lost because they is no substitute. This is why the shepherd left the ninety nine to go after one. This is why God does not want to lose even the little ones.

What does this mean in practice? It means that we're special; that all of us and each one of us is special; it means that there is none like you, there is none like me; that God custom made each one of us different; that each one of us is a different story, a unique story. It means that though there may be similarities in our individual stories, we're completely different. It means that each one's story will have a different ending. Your story will end different and uniquely; my story will end differently and uniquely. It is my story; it is your story. So, mind your story.

The parable shows us that God deals with us on a one to one basis. Though we're many, some say too many, we're known individually and we count. If God deals with us individually, we must deal with God as individuals. Some of us relate with God when we're among many and don't know how to relate with God as individuals.

If God made us different and UNIQUE, why do we envy other people? We should instead admire ourselves and the gifts God gave us. Be happy with what you have received from God instead of envying what God gave to others. And appreciate and develop that which makes you unique. Do you know your uniqueness, by the way? Don't live like anybody else. Leave their story and start to live your story.