Odd One Out

From the desk of Rev. Diannia Baty ©

Do you ever feel like the oddball in the bunch? Do you feel as though you just don’t fit in? I want to let you in on a secret. Everyone feels this way sooner or later. We all go through periods when we wonder if we came from a different planet. When all the others are going left, we go right. It is a very uncomfortable feeling for many of us. I have heard the statement “there is something different about me.” If you feel that way it is cause for celebration and not something to feel bad about.

It would be a very boring world indeed if the only flowers that existed were yellow tulips. Imagine a world where we all had green skin. There was no red or purple, only green. A world full of people with green skin looking at only yellow flowers, how awful!
If you are a little different than other people it should be a wonderful feeling but sadly many of those who feel like the fifth wheel or the odd duck out feel less than, not worthy.
They feel as though there is something wrong with them. In our cookie cutter society being odd is difficult because of all the comparisons that exist. We have a class system.
There is lower class to upper middle class. Then there are the rich folks. They have a class all to their selves. The gulf between the rich and the poor in this country grows wider every year. How about weight class? There are the model thin people, height/ weight proportionate, overweight and obese. I am in an age class known as the baby boomers. To describe myself by class I would say I am a middle class, height weight proportionate baby boomer. This would give you a generic idea of who I am by class description. A generic idea is all you get from this because I am a far more complex creature than this. Each one of us is such a wonderful creation, simply perfect and perfectly simple. We are complex, diverse, creative, intelligent entities made of love, for love and to be love.
God has no class descriptions, no prejudices, and no concerns about how much money you make or don’t make, isn’t wondering if you should lose or gain a few pounds, putting you last in line or sending you to the back of the bus. You are accepted and loved just as you are. If you are a little different you are that way for a very good reason. Remember, God doesn’t make any mistakes. God didn’t invent the red rover game or tug of war or wars for that matter, we did. If any of you remember the red rover game that we played in school we had two captains and got to choose by turn from a group of children to be on your team. As the choices dwindled down there were always a few of the same children left standing toward the very end. You could see the pain in their eyes at being at the very end of the culling process. They were considered the least desirable. It was a hurtful way to choose. The teacher should be the one to do this or another method used.

In any event, I think you know that the diversity in our world is a wonderful thing and no one person should be excluded from the game of life. If you are the odd duck, go celebrate your uniqueness. If you are looking at, living with, working with or loving an odd duck…how wonderful. Get to know them; you just might have some fantastic surprises and insights in store for you.

Aren’t you glad that God doesn’t have some kind of spiritual red rover game?
If he did, when do you think your name would be called? Kind of scary, huh?
I am so happy that God loves me just as I am.