Uniquely Special

After coming home from a cell group the other night, my wife said to me, “There seems to be in every church one or two people who just are really special people.” My wife did not mean to imply that God only made one or two people special. We all know that each person is special in the eyes of God. What then did she mean because I have a sneaking suspicion that we all would agree with her statement?

What was neat about her statement was that I responded to her by throwing out a name of the person I thought of when she said that. I was right on! We both were thinking of the same person. Obviously then there are people who somehow in someway are just different enough to be labeled as unique amidst a church full of special people. I call them uniquely special people.

I would imagine that everyone can think of an individual who stands out in your mind as being uniquely special. They are nearly impossible not to notice because they are the kind of person that you typically love to be around. They are also the kinds of people that tend to make bold, clear and wonderful statements with their lives. They usually do it without saying a word, but when they do speak, it is equally wonderful.

Are these uniquely special people that way because of personality, character or passion? Looking back on the uniquely special people that I have had the privilege of knowing, I would say that the answer is no to that question. Yes, their passion, character and personality have something do with it but it is not the source. You already know that I am going to connect the source to God. That’s right; it is God that makes special people uniquely special. But that still doesn’t explain why they would be uniquely special since all of us who are redeemed are filled with God’s spirit.

Let’s stop and look at the characteristics of uniquely special people. That may shed some light on the answer. See if you agree with me that the following are in nearly every case solid characteristic of uniquely special people.
- Lovers of people - Spiritually Mature Christians
- Selfless - Excited about ministry & seeing God work
- Servants - Very involved in ministry
- Joyful - Lovers of people
Now there was a reason that I marked down twice, “lovers of people.” It seems to me that “lovers of people,” could sum up the whole list. If you love people you are selfless, you are a servant and so on. It is just a hunch, but ‘loving people’ sure seems to be the best answer for our question. I will add that loving people with a Christ like love only comes from God. This love is not something that we can create within ourselves. Rather, it is born in us as the Spirit of God takes residence in our lives. That love, then has to be nurtured and developed.

Some people are wired by God to naturally be people persons. However, no individual is excused from loving others. I myself am an introvert. I know you may not believe me but it’s true. I need time alone in order to survive. There are days when I know that I have to get away and be alone in order to refill my tank and refresh myself. The difference between myself and other introverts may be that I have really prayed hard and worked at overcoming my comfort zones. To be honest, God has done a lot of nudging me into a whole new world of interacting with people. God has also been really working in me to create an overflowing love for people. I have a long way to go but I honestly can say that I get much more excited about being around people and sharing my faith with them that I ever have.

So, uniquely special people whether they are wired naturally as people persons or not, love others with the love of Christ. I tend to believe that God makes sure there are at least one or two uniquely special people in each local body of believers because they are desperately needed. We need them to set an example for us, to be contagious with the love and joy of Christ, and to challenge us to seek God. Uniquely special people tend to unify the body of Christ as well. Everyone seems to relate well to these people.

Well, I don’t know about you but I want to be a uniquely special person. Not only because I admire those around me that are, but primarily because Jesus is and was a uniquely special person.

John 13:34-35
A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another."

1 Cor 13:1-3
If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing.