Unique

Once upon a time, I left my baseball glove at a rest stop somewhere in Kentucky. I was in elementary school, and I forgot to put it back in the car before we continued our trip to Alabama. Easily the most devastating thing to have happened to me at the time, I cried for several hours when I realized it was gone. So, when we returned home to Indiana, buying a new glove was of the highest priority. My dad (who happened to play college baseball) took me to a store, where I promptly picked out my Top Three Choices. I turned to my wise father and asked him to rank the three gloves. He thought about it and told me his opinion. When he was done, I looked my dad (the former college baseball player, remember) in the eye, put his top two recommendations back on the shelf, and told him I wanted his last choice. He looked at the cheap, plastic, off-brand glove; sighed; and said, “seriously?”

“Yep,” I said smugly. I marched proudly to the front of the store and checked out.

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Looking back, I question two things. Firstly, what was I thinking? My parents deserve an award for putting up with such a jerk of a kid. And secondly, why did I feel such a need to prove my individuality?

It’s this second question that we’re going to explore in BASE CAMP & ASCENT during the month of March as we talk about how God has made us truly unique. In a world where individuality is valued (sometimes above all else), we want kids to recognize that we are special because we were created uniquely in God’s image. We don’t need to seek out opportunities to prove our uniqueness; instead, we should use the identity He’s already given us. The world offers some cheap imitations of individuality--superficial ways to stand out from the crowd. From kids who want to “go viral” by doing unwise things (Tide Pod challenge, anyone?) to adults who make their lives appear perfect on social media (when's the last time you've seen someone post about a fight with their spouse?), we desire to be seen. We do this even though we are already seen and loved by the Creator of the World. There's nothing we could do to earn our individuality or value--we've had it from the beginning.

That plastic glove broke within a few months, but it’s still at my parents’ house as a constant reminder of my foolishness. I don’t remember which glove I bought next, but I’m sure it was the one my father recommended. This month, let’s help our kids remember that we don’t have to chase after a cheap, plastic form of individuality--our Father created us perfectly unique!