You Are Unique by Design

"...My dove, my perfect one, is unique." (Song of Solomon 6:8-9). Every person is unique. The Lord in His wisdom created us all special, in physical appearance, abilities, gifting, tallents, intellect and personality. Uniqueness is a reality in the busniss world. Successful companies separate themselves from others to compete in the marketplace. The is especially true for those who compete in a over crowded marketplace where competition and low price is the driving incentive for the customer. However this is not always the case with a successful company. Sometimes a company will violate every rule and still rise to the top. Take a look at Starbucks. They overpriced their product. They changed the language - a small is actually a "tall." A medium is "grande." Wow! They are one of the great 21st century American success stories. Considered as one of the most successful and admired companies today, Starbucks has grown from a single store begun by a Jewish man in Seattle 33 years ago to 12,000 stores, almost 4,000 of which are in 36 countries outside the U.S. In fiscal 2006, the company posted revenues of more than $8 billion. Cup by cup, Starbucks has changed the way people drink coffee. My wife treats herself to a Starbucks every Friday. This is one of the highlights of her week. My youngest son managed a Starbucks for two years. Through this experience he learned much about the business world and sharpened his people skills. More inportant he learned the importance of excellence in the business world and in his personal life. More remarkably, Starbucks successfully transformed a pedestrian commodity into a high-end accessory. It has created a "Starbucks lifestyle" that more people continue to embrace in the United States and abroad. They created community around their product. Jesus came to earth, grew up in a humble home and at age 30 began his earthly ministry. He said to many "Come follow me." The usual response was entailed "What will it cost me?" To which He often replied "everything." Remember when he told the rich, young, ruler "Go sell all that you have and give it to the poor, then come and follow me." Or when the man wanted to bury his father. The problem was his father wasn't dead yet. He was waiting for dad to pass on then he would inherit the estate. Jesus said "Let the dead bury the dead." Some simply dropped what they were doing and followed Jesus. Matthew quit collecting taxes and started "collecting" souls. Peter in turn became a "Fisher of men." Each disciple was unique, each served a special place in the Lord's "Team" that He used to lay the foundation of His church. God created each of us to be unique. Dr. Ken Copley is available for counseling, conferences, and local church meetings.