Unique!

Have you ever had someone tell you that you are one of a kind? Or, like in my case, that they are glad there is only one of you? Do you think that you are unique, that there are none like you?

The other day I was traveling back from the doctor, which if you know me, you know that happens a lot in my life no matter where I live, and I was stopped at a light. I was looking at people, as I usually do, and there was a driver that looked exactly like my pastor from Ohio. It was freaky. The only difference was that the driver was Indian and a taxi driver and my pastor is white and a pastor. Have you ever seen someone else’s twin in another race? I have many times.

What about when someone has a child? What do people do right away? She has your eyes. He has your hair. He screams just like you. She smiles like me. We make similarities between them and the parents and other family members. Does this make them unique then? Aren’t you the same way? Then are you truly unique then? Am I?

Another question for us to answer: If I was to disappear from the planet right now would anything change? Would anything be different? My family would be upset and hurt for a while, but they would live and move on with their lives. Everyone reading this would continue on with their lives, and even some may be happy. What would happen if you disappeared? Would the world change? Nope. The world would keep going.

There is only One who is truly Unique and that is Jesus the Christ. It is because of Christ’s uniqueness that we are unique and important. He gives us the fullness and the reason we are to be on this planet. He gives the reason for our very existence. Jesus is the very reason for our very being.

We are now in the Christmas season and suppose to be celebrating the birth of Christ, which in itself is a very unique event. When was the last time you sat back and thought about the birth of Christ and how unique it really is. His birth was predicted in the Old Testament hundreds of years ahead of time.

Back in Genesis 3:15 we are told He would be born of a woman, I know that is a gimme, but it is still there. Isaiah 7:14 then says He would be born of a virgin, which is confirmed in Matthew 1:21 and following. Jesus was prophesied to be out of the seed of Abraham (Gen. 12:1-3 and 22:18; cf. Matt. 1:1 & Gal. 3:16), from the Tribe of Judah (Gen. 49:10; cf Luke 3:23, 33 and Heb. 7:14), and a descendant of David (2 Sam. 7:12f; Matt. 1:1), and then lastly born in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2; Matt. 2:1 and Luke 2:4-7).

Nothing about Christ is plain or similar to someone else. Not even His birth! If you study Christ’s life you will continue to find that the way He lived His life was very unique and nothing like we live ours. If Christ disappeared and did not exist then neither would you or I, making His life very important and very unique.

Jesus was unique in that He never sinned (Luke 23:47), He performed unique miracles (John 2:7, John 6:11, Matt. 14:25), and He resurrected from the dead (Matt. 17:9).

We are unique because of Jesus and we are not unique because of ourselves. We are born like everyone else. We live the same, sinned the same and we will die the same. Christ was none of these, and because of Him we are unique and have a purpose. As you shop and celebrate with family this Christmas, remember the ONE who makes that truly possible – Jesus Christ.