Totally Weird

When I first moved to Altoona, Ray Pursley drove me around town, just to show me where is where.  I thought that was really nice for him to do and made me feel very comfortable knowing some of the places around the city. 
​
I remember as we were driving and talking, heading back to the house after passing by Altoona UPMC.  Ray was telling me that everyone in Altoona is very nice, and that people are well mannered.  Then we passed one house on the left that looked unique.  The number of colors, décor, and other outdoor lawn items really made the house stick out.  There was a brief moment of silence as we passed this house.  Maybe ray was reading my mind or possible we were thinking the same thing.  Ray then says, “We also have some characters in this town as well.”  Now if you are the homeowner of that particular house reading this blog, I am sharing this not to make fun of it, but to uplift it.  But I am also assuming you might not care what other people think as well.  It was a delightful experience.

All of us have some sort of uniqueness.   But I do not know if you are like me, but I always tend to think that I am just like everyone else, you know… normal.  I try to strive for normalcy.  I do not like to do anything that makes me stick out.  I just want to fit it, blend in, and just be like everyone else.  But that is the problem, because what if everyone is different and unique, then what is normal anyways?

How do you eat strawberries?  This question will make sense, trust me.  First of all being unique is something that just happens.  You really don’t need to try to be unique or different, it just will come out.  And sometimes when you think you do, behave and act like everyone else, you might come to the point that you will do something that nobody else does.  So how do you eat strawberries.  You see, it took me a while, actually about 30 years of my life, realizing that I eat strawberries differently from other people.  My buddy, Luke eats strawberries like I do.  Which is… just eating it whole… like popcorn.  I thought that is how everyone eats strawberries.  I didn’t know that people don’t eat the green thing on the top.  I didn’t know that people take multiple bites of one strawberry and stop when they hit the green part.  Yeah, I really thought you just eat the whole darn thing in one pop.  It took me a while to realize that I am different.  My wife gave me a double take when I ate a strawberry in front of her and then asked me, why I ate it like that.  I had no idea what she was talking about.

Does that make it wrong how I eat strawberries?  Maybe to some, or most.  Is it weird how I eat them, probably?  But whatever, that’s just how I eat them.  We are all somewhat weird and unique, nothing to e ashamed about.  God created all of us in His own image.  God gave us different passions, different wills, different behaviors, and there is nothing wrong with that. 

I wonder if God made us so different from one another with a certain purpose.  Maybe that purpose is that don’t try to fit in with people, because it will never work.  Nobody is the same, because the only thing that we can connect our sameness is not with other people, but with God.  Yes, God who made us all in His image.  That means each and everyone of us are common to God.  All that weirdness, uniqueness is all about who God is.  God is more diverse than we can possibly imagine. 

So, if you feel different form other people, and feel like you don’t belong, well maybe that is because you are looking for belongingness in the wrong places.  Maybe it’s time you find your comfort in God’s love.  Acceptance in society is hard to completely have.  Connecting yourself to self interest groups can have its limitations.  But in God, you belong, you are part of His plan, you are His creation, made in His image, righteous in His eyes, always and completely.