What makes you different

“I just wanted the world to see what I see. I wanted them to see purpose and value in her life, in anyone’s life, you know, no matter what the differences . . . “

So said the mom of happy little Pip – a little girl who recently won Happy Soul Project’s Indie88 Billboard contest. Her billboard features her with the words “What makes you different makes you beautiful”. And did I forget to mention? Pip has Down Syndrome.

People in special circumstances who beat the odds are inspiring to me, and kids who have Down Syndrome even more so, maybe because of my brother. This video makes me so happy!

I love how Pip’s mom talked about seeing purpose and value in peoples lives, not categorizing them or putting limitations on them because of a disability. Sure, having Down Syndrome does make life different. But we’re all given our crosses and we’re all a little different. This is part of the reason why big “coming out” hoopla kind of annoys me sometimes.

You see, your sexual orientation, disability, and/or talents are all part of who you are. Awesome! Hello brother or sister in Christ! As Christians we are called to love people not because of what they are (homosexual, artist, down syndrome) but because of who they are: a daughter or son of God.

So, focus on that. Show me who you are by the way you live your life. Give glory to God by using your talents and abilities for the common good. And please. If you go give a speech saying “Hey! Just wanted you to know I’m ‘different’ but yo! Don’t treat me like I’m different. I’m just like you!” don’t be shocked when people treat you differently.

Introduce yourself by name. Think of people by name, not by what they are. Something that really helped me focus on the good parts of people I may not be on awesome terms with is to think of them as a child of God. Yup. Ouch. It kind of puts it all in perspective. Like Pip’s mom said, she is Pip. She is a (super cute!) little girl and the things that make her unique make her the beautifully unique person she is.

We’ve all got quirks and some people like Pip are more ‘different’ than most, but like the billboard says: What makes you different makes you beautiful. Be who God created you as (his unique child with specific talents and problems), not the labels or ideas the world has assigned to you.