Hope in Diversity

When I was little, I wanted to look like Cinderella. I wanted to have the exact same hair, eyes, skin, smile, dress, etc. I wanted to look just like her.

Not too long ago, as I was walking through the toy section of Target, I was about to pass by the row of Barbies when I stopped. I turned around. I looked. There were at least fifty of them. And they all looked exactly the same. The only things different between some were the hair styles and outfits. I thought about the times I wanted to look like Barbie. And while I could go on and on about how unrealistic Barbie is and how being her size would result in lack of space for organs and poor balance, due to the fact that her pencil thin legs can't hold up her head, what I realized today was the number of dolls on that shelf--that all looked exactly the same. They were all staring down at me with a bright, happy smile, sleek blonde hair, and a prideful pose that seemed to scream, "I'm so gorgeous, and you're not." Over and over, it was her.

It got me thinking. Why do we all want to look like everyone else? What is the point of being clones? If you look the same as the other guy, what makes that look special anymore? Nothing.

This isn't just relating to physical appearance. It has to do with the talents, character traits, and so forth. We walk around wishing that we were just like someone else. Perhaps we think it would make us better. But how would it be better to give up our own unique traits to duplicate someone else?

We were not meant to be exactly like each other. We were created as individuals, all with different personalities, looks, and abilities. We were made with the same purpose--to glorify God and enjoy Him forever--but that same God made us different for his own glory.

Psalm 139: 13-16 echoes some of these thoughts:

13 For you created my inmost being;
you knit me together in my mother's womb.

14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
your works are wonderful,
I know that full well.

15 My frame was not hidden from you
when I was made in the secret place.
When I was woven together in the depths of the earth,

16 your eyes saw my unformed body.
All the days ordained for me
were written in your book
before one of them came to be.

God has planned all of our lives to carry out in different ways. He loves what He has made, and He loves the beauty that He has put in each of us. So why would we all want to look like each other? We are obviously made the way that we are for a purpose. God's knowledge goes far beyond ours, and even if He's the only one that can see that purpose, it's there.

Think of amazing artists like Claude Monet and Vincent Van Gogh. How famous would they be if all their pictures were exactly the same? If Starry Night looked exactly like Sunflowers, why would Van Gogh gain recognition for painting two of the same pictures and simply titling them differently? He wouldn't. With no diversity, there is no creativity, and everything is the same.

The same goes for us as people. If we were all exactly the same, the world would be rather boring. Nothing would be different. It would be like looking at a shelf full of Barbies. There would be no change. There would be no difference from being his friend or his friend. They're exactly the same, so why does it matter?

I happen to prefer Starry Night over Sunflowers. Many people don't. But would either of us want two pictures of Starry Night hanging on our walls? No, of course not. It would be redundant. There wouldn't be a point.

Unfortunately, not everyone in the world appreciates everyone else. Or everything else, for that matter. They don't like the diversity. They wish people were carbon copies of themselves. I've probably been guilty of this myself. And, of course, time and time again I've wished I was someone else. But when it comes down to it, I remember that I was created with dirty brown hair, freckled skin, an irrational mind, and extreme clumsiness for a reason. I don't know God's plan. I'll admit that I doubt it at times. I can't always figure out why I am the way I am. But I'm learning to trust in Him and know that he has purposes for all my self-supposed flaws. And that He created everyone in His own image--that He sees all of us as His beautiful children. If He only liked one look and personality, He could have made us all the same. But He didn't. And the fact that He wants and loves us all exactly how we are--how He created us--brings me hope, even when society doesn't.

If God had wanted me otherwise, He would have created me otherwise. ~Johann von Goethe

You were born an original. Don't die a copy. ~John Mason

Thrive in God-given diversity.